Exit Sandman – Rivera to Retire After 2013 Season

Added by Gina Sorce on March 8, 2013.

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is expected to announce his retirement this weekend. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Say it ain’t so.

According to multiple sources, Yankees closer, the legendary Mariano Rivera plans to retire after the 2013 season. The announcement is to be made during a press conference Saturday at 10 a.m.

Well, we all knew it was coming. If Rivera had not suffered his ACL injury last May while shagging a fly ball during batting practice, he might have retired last season.

Rivera’s historic, incomparable career couldn’t have such a tragic ending. Rivera has worked relentlessly rehabbing his knee and is expected to make his first appearance of Spring Training within the next few weeks.

Rivera, 43, is without a doubt, the best closer of all time; there are no better words to describe his immortality in the record books. Rivera has spent all 18 years of his incredible career in pinstripes and made his Major League debut in 1995.

Rivera is the all-time Major League leader with 608 saves and has an outstanding earned run average of .221. His postseason resume is even more impressive. Rivera has five World Series rings and boasts a lifetime 0.70 playoff ERA with 42 saves in 96 appearances.  Rivera is  also an eight-time All-Star.

For Yankee fans like myself who had the luxury of growing up and witnessing Rivera’s historic career, it’s simply incomprehensible to grasp that after this season, Rivera won’t be called on to close the game. No more “Enter Sandman” to get us fired up in a save situation and we won’t see number 42 jogging in from the bullpen.

Nothing I write about Mariano Rivera will ever be able to do him justice. So I’ll end with a quote from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman on the closer:

“Without question, we’re talking about the best reliever, in my opinion, in the history of baseball. This guy has become branded with the Yankee logo. People are going to remember this man for so long for what he’s done.”