At home against the Tampa Bay Rays, Rivera got the team out a tight spot in the eighth inning. Though they did not win, Rivera performed well. The special moment came when it was time for Rivera's exit during the ninth inning. Instead of manager Joe Girardi coming out to remove Rivera from the game, his two long-time teammates, Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter were there to make the call. As it was his last time leaving the mound at Yankee Stadium, Rivera was visibly emotional.
"I was so thankful they came out," he said of Pettitte and Jeter. "I was bombarded with emotions and feelings that I couldn't describe. Everything hit at that time. I knew that was the last time. Period. I never felt like that before. After the eighth inning, I knew I was going back for the last time. It was a totally different feeling. All the flashbacks from the minor leagues to the big leagues all the way to this moment. It was hard. I was able to compose myself and come back out."
Derek Jeter felt the power of the moment, too, stating, "I thought it was pretty cool. I've never taken a pitcher out before. We've all grown up together. It's too bad good things have to come to an end."
Joe Torre, who managed Rivera through four of his five World Series Championships, comments, "Probably not since Koufax have we seen anyone leave the game with so much respect."
Rivera, who Nickhil Gholkar notes is normally a calm presence in the game, was visibly emotional during his last stand at Yankee Stadium. Normally a fixture on the bench between innings, he had to dip into the trainers' room in order to collect himself.
A visibly emotional Joe Girardi said in a press conference that he was glad to give Mariano Rivera a unique exit as his two teammates came to retrieve him, which he wasn't initially sure was even allowed. He explains, "I started thinking about it in the eighth inning. I figured if they say yes to one, I'll push it and I'll ask for two. It was nice that Mike Winters, the crew chief, said 'Okay, let it happen.' I really appreciate that because I think it made the moment even more special for Mo. Two guys that have been linked to him a long time, came up through the minor leagues, have been through a lot together. I think it made the moment even more special."
"Regardless of what team you root for, Mo's exit was a memorable and touching moment. He's given so much to the game of baseball, so to see him honored this way was special. All baseball fans knew that they were watching a historic moment for the game," explains Nickhil Gholkar.
ABOUT:
Nickhil Gholkar is a passionate sports fan who supports the professional teams in Kansas City. Though he regularly attends Royals games, he notes that his favorite team is the Chicago Cubs.
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