QUICK TAKES

Panamanian Pitch Closes The World Series –
Mariano Rivera Closer

Takes Yankees to their 27th Championship

By Drew Birenbaum

Who would imagine, a kid from Panama City who basically played stickball in the streets, using milk cartons for gloves and sticks for bats. You have to love the way kids can make something out of nothing, and without knowing it, reveal a talent. ‘Mo’, as he is affectionately referred to by his fellow Yankees, played baseball in Panama in relative obscurity with a team called Panama Oeste, until a Yankee scout, Chico Heron, watched him move from his regular short stop position to pitcher. The grace and athleticism he displayed, captured his attention, and Mo was signed to play in the Minors for the Yankees in 1990. At that time, he was only throwing pitches at 80 to 85 miles per hour. But the more he played, the faster he got.

Rivera kept progressing and was breaking the 95 mph threshold as a force to be reckoned with. In 1995 he moved up to the Majors, and put on those beloved stripes. This 6’2” Panamanian rocket launcher has captured the world’s attention. When everyone thinks of Panama, the Canal is the first thing to come to mind, or perhaps the 4-time world champion boxer, Roberto Duran. Now, it is Mariano Rivera, whose stats have done nothing short of the miraculous in his long career with the New York Yankees.

In his Series experience, Mo had 11 saves and a 0.99 ERA, postseason he had 39 saves and a 0.68 ERA in a total of 88 appearances. This means he is right behind Trevor Hoffman with 526 saves in the last 13 seasons, amazing. Through out his career, it is said that he basically has one pitch, the cut-fastball. One would think the batters would just know this a hit the ball, but they don’t’, it is just that good. From the 1,090 regular season innings, there have only been 848 hits and 1,006 strikeouts.

The 2009 World Series had us all glued to the action and drama of the game, especially the last innings of the last game. The pressure of being ahead, with the Phillies at bat, one man on base, 2 outs, the tension was palpable, as anything could happen. The Fat Lady had not sung yet. Pitcher Andy Pettitte said, “Mo’s presence this time of year is … I don’t even know how to describe it. I mean he is just amazing. And I know what obviously he’s done in the postseason, but he’s just amazing all the time. When he comes into the games, you just feel like the game is going to be over. You hate to put that kind of pressure on somebody, but it doesn’t faze Mo.” In fact, in this closeout game 6, it was Mo’s 24th career appearance in the series, which are 2 more than Whitey Ford’s long-standing record.

With a steely glare, Mo focused in that unrivaled way that pitchers do with catchers, then unleashed a powerful and stealth communication with his eyes before the release of the ball. A simple set up for a base hit and an easy out and a magnificent win. And the crowd goes wild. All of the Yankees jumping into a heap of joy and tangled hugs that is classic after such a great Series win.

There is nothing like a New York crowd, or the Yankees bringing the World Championship home in its new stadium, for their 27th title. The Babe would be proud. And in Panama, they are absolutely on cloud nine; Mariano Rivera is nothing short of a national hero. Most of the sports writers agree he is a Hall of Famer in the making. No one needs to wait to call him great right now. Americans, Panamanians and all the fans across the globe salute you.