12 IMMIGRANTS WHO MADE AMERICAN SPORTS GREAT STORY LIBRARY by Janet Slingerland
1 Mo Rivera Becomes Baseball’s Greatest Closer Mariano Mo Rivera was born in Panama in 1969 His father was a fisherman Rivera and his friends played baseball on the beach when the tide was low They made their own gear Carboard milk cartons became gloves Tree branches became bats Baseballs were taped-up wads of used fishing nets 4 After high school Rivera wanted to play baseball He made the Panama Oeste team in 1990 He was a shortstop but the team needed a pitcher Rivera volunteered A scout for the New York Yankees saw him play Rivera moved to the United States and played in the minor leagues He became a relief pitcher taking over for other pitchers in the middle of a game
Rivera pitched his first major league game in May 1995 The Yankees lost 10-0 They sent him back to the minors A month later his fastball reached 95 miles per hour He returned to the majors Rivera played 19 seasons in MLB Major League Baseball He could turn a losing game into a winning one His cool head and positive attitude made him one of the best relief pitchers ever to play the game He’s the only one to be named MVP Most Valuable Player of a World Series a League Championship Series and an All-Star Game Rivera retired in 2013 1,111 Mo Rivera’s major league pitching appearances a record among right-handed pitchers Rivera grew up in Panama He started as a shortstop but switched to pitching He spent 19 years playing for the Yankees in MLB RETIRING A HISTORIC NUMBER Mariano Rivera was the last player to wear the number 42 on his uniform This had been baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s number When Rivera retired in September 2013 the Yankees officially retired the number 5
