THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 22, 2019 Page 5 the Clippers, where he was clocked at 95 miles per hour, far faster than the 85 mph he had earlier before the surgery. On July 4th he started The Best Reliever Ever By The Old Sachem, Bill Stewart B y the title you probably think of Craig Kimbrel because I usually write about Boston heroes. Not in this case. The nominee is Mariano Rivera of the hated New York Yankees. Mariano was born in Panama City, Panama, on November 29, 1969. His pitching debut was May 23, 1995, and his last outing was on September 26, 2013. As a righty reliever he accumulated a record of 82 wins and 60 defeats, with an earned run average of 2.21, and 1,173 strikeouts. He brought the Yankees 652 saves, the record number, over his 19-year career. Mariano was an all-star 13 times, helped the Yankees to five World Series Championships and was the Series MVP in 1999. He was then American League Championship Series MVP in 2003. Five times he was named the Rolaids Relief Man recipient, three times the Delivery Man of the Year and three times the Major League Saves Leader. His father, Mariano Rivera Palacios, was captain of a fishing boat out of Puerto Caimito, Panama, and his mother was Delia Jiron. He described his early years as “poor,” and he grew up playing soccer and baseball with friends at low tide in the sand. He and his friends used makeshift tools to supplant the gloves and bats normally used in baseball. His father finally gave him a baseball glove when Mariano was 12 years old. At 18 he joined a local amateur baseball team as a utility player, and professional scouts rated him as not ready to become a professional. Finally, at 19 he got a chance to take the mound in relief and the rest is history. He was contacted by Chico Heron, a Yankees scout, and invited to the Yankees Tryout Camp in Panama City. Another Yankees scout was assigned to watch Mariano pitch, Herb Raybourn, and he signed the youngster to a minor league contract on February 17, 1990, which included a signing bonus of US$2,500 which must have seemed like riches to the lad. He played in the Yankees minor programs from 1990 to 1995 starting with the Gulf Coast League. As a relief pitcher he only allowed 24 baserunners and one earned run in 52 innings. He was allowed to start the final season game to garner enough innings to become the ERA leader of the league, which also carried a $500 bonus, and he tossed a seven-inning no-hitter. In 1991 Rivera was promoted to the Class A Level Greensboro Hornets of the South Atlantic League, where he was the starter for 15 games and relieved in 14 additional games. He had a 4 and 9 record but a 2.75 ERA in 114 2/3 innings, struck out 123 batters and only walked 36. In 1992 Mariano was elevated to the Class A-Advanced level Fort Lauderdale of the Florida State League (FSL), where he compiled a 5 and 3 record with 2.28 ERA. He suffered Tommy John surgery to his right elbow. He was available for the draft by the two new franchises, Colorado and Marlins, who probably consider this the worst decision that either club ever made since joining the major league. He was demoted to the Class A Hornets because of his injury and finished the 1993 season there. In 1994 he was advanced to the Tampa Yankees of the FSL, then to the double A level Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Eastern League, then to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers of the International League, Bill Stewart The Old Sachem and he ended the year with a 10 and 2 record in 22 starts. He began the year with the Clippers but was elevated to the big league Yankees in 1995. He struggled through his four starts and was demoted back to the Clippers. He attracted the Yankees with a no-hit shutout for 5 innings in a rain-shortened game for against the Chicago White Sox and tossed 8 scoreless innings, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 11. He had five more starts with little success and was sent back to the Clippers again. In August he was brought back to the big league, and after one start was sent to the bullpen. In the American League Division playoffs, he pitched 5 1/3 innings of scoreless innings and was considered a relief pitcher from that point on. He was a setup pitcher in 1996; in the 7th and 8th innings he preceded closer John Wetteland. Together they helped the Yankees to winning 70 of 73 games when the Yankees led by the 6th inning. He was a big contributor for the Yankees to secure the World Series in 1996. The Yankees let Wetteland go for the 1997 season, relying on Rivera to carry them through the final innings. Mariano became an All-Star that year. During the off-season he developed a cut fastball, finishing the season with 43 saves and a 1.88 ERA. In the 1998 season Rivera developed into the premier reliever in the major leagues. His cutter often broke the bats of opponents with a sharp lateral movement. His save in game four clinched the Yankees’ World Series championship. During the playoffs in his career to this point, he had thrown 35 innings with an ERA of 0.51. He amassed 141 innings pitched that year and his ERA is a record still standing. Now the premier closer in baseball, he finished his career with 952 career games OLD SACHEM | SEE PAGE 20 * A Delta Dental Premier Provider Dr. Mario Abdennour, Dr. Bhavisha Patel, Dr. Priti Amlani, Dr. Bruce Goldman and team.
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