Mariano Rivera Biography

Mariano Rivera, born November 29, 1969, played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball as a pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1995 to 2013. He was nicknamed Mo and Sandman, serving as the Yankees' closer for 17 seasons during his career as a relief pitcher. Rivera earned five American League Rolaids Relief Man Awards and three Delivery Man of the Year Awards, finishing in the top three for the AL Cy Young Award on four occasions. His primary pitch was a sharp-moving cut fastball that reached mid-90s mile-per-hour velocity, known for breaking hitters' bats. Mariano Rivera's role in securing late-game victories contributed to the Yankees' four championships in five years during the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2014, Major League Baseball established its AL Reliever of the Year Award in Rivera's honor. For his charitable work, Rivera received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in September 2019, the highest civilian honor in the United States.