The American League defeated the National League 3-0 in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York. The game’s historic significance won’t be measured by the final score or that the Americans ended a three-game skid and will have home-field advantage in the World Series.
The night will be remembered as Mariano Rivera’s final appearance in a Midsummer Classic.
Rivera’s performance resulted in a number of firsts and one meaningful last — he will be the last player to wear Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 in an All-Star Game.
The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer was the second oldest pitcher to appear in an All-Star Game. After earning four All-Star saves, Rivera earned his first “hold.” And to top the night off, Rivera became the first relief pitcher to be named Most Valuable Player.
The unmatched respect for Rivera was evident after the game. Here is what Rivera said about Tuesday’s game along with his peers’ reactions:
“It was tough. It was special. To see the fans sharing and both teams standing out in the dugout, managers, coaches, players — priceless. … I’ve never been in a situation like this. The only difference is the World Series. Besides that, this has been right there.”
—Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
“I don’t have anything left. I have no reason to say, you know, I should do this another year. So what you see is what you’re going to have, and that’s it.”
—Mariano Rivera
“Thank you. It’s been a privilege.”
—Mariano Rivera
“Nothing is better than this. I appreciate all of it. From the fans. From the peers.”
—Mariano Rivera
“Outstanding. To be able to hand the ball over to him that I saved with him in the bullpen was pretty cool. Obviously, no secret how much I look up to him. And to be able to do that for him was awesome.”
—Joe Nathan
“My first All-Star save. I’d love to have the ball but that was a no-brainer. Everybody knows how much I admire the guy. He’s taught me so much about how to be a baseball player.”
—Joe Nathan
“It’s pretty cool because ’96, I was there with him in the clubhouse when they won his first World Series. So it was pretty cool to get him the ball. I was a kid when he won his first World Series. So it was really cool.”
—Prince Fielder, Detroit Tiger (Father Cecil played on the 1996 Yankees)
“The night was full of emotion. And to be honest with you, this is one of the toughest games I ever had to manage, because you have all these different scenarios that might happen. And really, the show tonight — even though we won the game, and a lot of guys did a very, very good job, I don’t want to slight anybody — but this was really about trying to manipulate so we got Mariano at the right time.”
—Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers
“He’s not one of the greatest, he’s the greatest closer. And I thought it was awesome.”
—Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians
“He’s one of the best pitchers of all-time and definitely the best closer of all-time. I enjoyed my couple of days that I had here with him It was a treat to be able to be a part of that. Unfortunately, he did decide to retire and this is going to be his last All-Star Game, but it’s a memorable one for me.”
—Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
“Hey, I’m still not sold it’s his last year. He’s dealing.”
—Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
“There was no other MVP in this stadium than Rivera.”
—Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the history of the game, to be honest with you. I don’t think there’s ever been a better pitch in baseball than his cutter. He’s thrown one pitch his entire career. Teach me that pitch. I would love to do that.”
—Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals