Last night’s Major League Baseball all-star game, which saw the American League beat the National League 3-0, was rather dull. At least until the 8th inning when Yankees closer Mariano Rivera was ushered out of the bullpen.
Baseball fans, especially those at Citi Field forgot that Rivera is a Yankee and cheered the moment for baseball’s all-time greatest closer.
638 regular season saves, 42 more in the playoffs and 4 during all-star competition. In 9 all-star innings, Rivera’s ERA is a perfect 0.00.
As Rivera entered to his trademark walk-on song “Enter Sandman”, normally heard in the Bronx and not the Queens, boomed from the speakers and fans screamed with joy. Even the players on both sides remained in the dugouts, to allow Rivera to soak up the nearly 2-minute standing ovation from the crowd all by himself.
It was a fitting all-star ending for Rivera, who is one of the great ambassadors of the game.
He thanked his teammates before the game for allowing him to come along for the ride. By the time the night was over, it was the players thanking Rivera for letting them be a part of a thrilling scene.
Rivera won the MVP award, partly because there was no single moment that stood out in the AL victory. But it’s fitting for Rivera to take home the hardware on this night.
