Mariano Rivera, the first player to be elected unanimously by the Baseball Writers Association of America

Mariano Rivera, a Panamanian baseball player who was widely considered to be the greatest reliever of all time. As a member (1995–2013) of the New York Yankees, he won five World Series titles (1996, 1998–2000 and 2009).

Rivera was born in Panama City, Panama, on November 29, 1969, by Mariano Rivera Palacios and Delia Jiron. Supported by the work of Mariano Sr. as captain of a fishing boat, the family lived in Puerto Caimito, a Panamanian fishing village that Rivera described as “poor”. When he was young, Rivera played soccer and baseball with his friends on the beach at low tide. Soccer was his favorite sport, and Pele his favorite athlete. For baseball games, they substituted cardboard milk cartons for gloves and tree branches for bats and formed balls by engraving wads of crushed fishing nets. Rivera used this improvised equipment until his father bought him his first leather glove when he was 12 years old.

Notably, at 20 years was signed by a Yankee scout and went to the United States to play in the club’s minor league system. He made his Major League Baseball debut in 1995, dividing his time as a middle pitcher and reliever before being moved to the bullpen full time the following season.

A prominent and justly recognized player

Nicknamed “Mo” and “Sandman”, he spent most of his career as a relief pitcher and was the Yankees’ closer for 17 seasons. At thirteen years in Time of Stars and five times the World Series of the champion, he is the leader of the MLB career in guard (652) and games completed (952). Rivera won five American League (AL) Rolaids Relief Man Awards and three Man of the Year Awards and finished in the top three in the AL Cy Young Award four times.

It should be noted that, although Rivera’s achievements in the regular season were extraordinary, his performance in the playoffs placed him well above other major relievers. He was a key member of the five World Series championship teams and appeared in two series losses. During his 16 seasons with the Yankees, Rivera played in 96 games, achieved a record of 42 saves, and pitched 141 innings while allowing only 11 earned runs.

Now, Rivera was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 2019 class in his first year of eligibility and was the first player to be chosen unanimously by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).

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Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica