Playing with Purpose Read online

  © 2012 by Jesse Florea and Mike Yorkey

  Print ISBN 978-1-62029-821-3

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  All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission worldwide. All rights reserved Inc.™

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  Cover image © AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

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  CONTENTS

  1. Thirteen Pitches to History

  2. Warning Track Mishap

  3. A Pitch That’s a Cut Above

  4. The Four C’s of Closing

  5. Real-Life Fish Story

  6. From Vaqueros to Pinstripes

  7. Fisher of Men

  8. The Need for Speed

  9. Enter the Sandman

  10. Party Like It’s 1999

  11. Great Wins and Devastating Losses

  12. Speak the Truth

  13. More Than a Little Respect

  14. Firm Foundation

  15. Back on Top

  16. The Church Rivera Saved

  17. A Legend among Legends

  18. Closing Statements

  About the Authors

  Source Material

  New York catcher Jorge Posada pushes Mariano Rivera back to the mound to acknowledge the crowd’s cheers after the Yankee closer recorded his 602nd save. New York beat the Minnesota Twins 6–4 on September 19, 2011, at Yankee Stadium. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

  1

  THIRTEEN PITCHES TO HISTORY

  Heading into the 2011 season, the question wasn’t if New York Yankee pitcher Mariano Rivera was the best closer in Major League Baseball history but when he’d break the all-time saves record and prove that fact.

  The answer to that question came on September 19 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees held a 6–4 lead over the Minnesota Twins heading into the top of the ninth inning. Like the team had done so many times over the previous sixteen seasons, New York called on Mariano to clinch the victory.

  Throughout the game, the Yankees faithful could feel something special in the air. The electricity had built as New York clung to a two-run lead after six innings. Mariano had come into the game with 601 saves, tying him for the all-time lead with San Diego Padres great Trevor Hoffman.

  The Bronx pulsated with energy as the innings went by. The crowd erupted with cheers when New York’s Nick Swisher grounded into an inning-ending double play in the eighth—not because the fans wanted Swisher to fail but because the end of the eighth meant it was time for Mariano to go for the record.

  The crowd grew even louder between innings as Mariano jogged from the bullpen to the mound and took his warm-up pitches.

  “Let’s go, Mo!” fans chanted.

  Moments later, the cheering ratcheted up another level as Trevor Plouffe, the Twins’ second hitter, stepped into the batter’s box to lead off the ninth inning. It wasn’t going to be easy for Mariano to pick up his 602nd save. He’d have to go through the heart of Minnesota’s lineup, which included Michael Cuddyer and Chris Parmelee—both of whom had hit home runs earlier in the game.

  The situation. The noise. The pressure. None of it seemed to rattle Mariano. He stared steel-eyed at his catcher, Russell Martin, gritted his teeth, and delivered his first pitch. Four pitches later, Plouffe found himself sitting on the bench after hitting a harmless ground ball to second base. Cuddyer suffered a similar fate. On a two-and-two count, he hit a lazy fly ball to right field for the second out.

  That brought up Parmelee. Mariano kicked and delivered a belt-high pitch on the outside edge of the plate. Strike one. The Yankee crowd began a deafening chant of “Mar-i-a-no!” Parmelee managed to make contact with the second pitch, fouling off an inside pitch and breaking his bat in the process. Strike two. As Parmelee walked back to the dugout to grab some new wood, the crowd’s excitement grew. Back in the batter’s box, with new lumber in his hands, Parmelee could only watch as Mariano’s signature cut fastball hit 93 miles per hour and caught the outside corner of home plate. Strike three!

  Three pitches. Three strikes. One historic out.

  In all, Mariano threw thirteen pitches to retire the Twins in 1-2-3 order.

  Yankees fans and players jumped around with excitement. Mariano simply smiled, hugged Martin, and took the game ball from his catcher. After Mariano hugged his fellow Yankees—including all the relief pitchers, who had run in from the bullpen—long-time teammate Jorge Posada nudged Mariano back onto the mound to accept the fans’ adulation.

  “For the first time in my career, I’m on the mound alone,” Mariano said later. “It was priceless. I didn’t know it could be like that.”

  Mariano blew a kiss to the Yankee Stadium faithful and took off his hat to thank the fans who had cheered for him since he entered the major leagues. He smiled and threw up his arms, looking almost embarrassed at all the applause.

  After several moments, Mariano rejoined his teammates and walked off the field. Immediately following the game, reporters surrounded Mariano and asked what it felt like to be the best closer of all time.

  Like he’d done countless times in the past, Mariano deflected the attention from himself and put the focus on his teammates—and on God.

  “The whole organization, my whole teammates have been a pillar for me,” Mariano told reporters. “I always have to talk about God because that’s the most important thing in my life. Yes, there have been bumps in the road, but God gave me the strength.”

  God’s strength almost seems to flow through Mariano on the mound. At 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 195 pounds, he’s not an imposing figure with the ball in his hand. But once the ball leaves his fingers, the pitch seems to explode toward the plate.

  The Yankee closer always credits God with his success. For years, he has written his favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:13, on his baseball glove: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

  Mariano’s words and actions after setting the saves record only added to his reputation as one of the kindest and humblest players ever to lace up a pair of cleats.

  Everybody seemed happy for him. Even after losing, many of the Twins stayed in the dugout and on the field to help honor Mariano’s accomplishment. And Trevor Hoffman, now in second place on the all-time saves list, offered his best wishes.

  “I want to congratul
ate Mariano Rivera on setting the all-time saves record,” Hoffman said in a statement. “It’s a great accomplishment, and he is still going strong! I have tremendous respect for Mariano not just for his on-field accomplishments, but also for his service to the community.”

  Between the time he came up with the Yankees in 1995 and the end of the 2012 season, Mariano had earned 608 saves. Only he and Hoffman have passed the 600 mark … and that doesn’t count Mariano’s 42 postseason saves, which are also a major league record. When he’s on the mound, the Yankees nearly always secure a victory. His save percentage is a hair under 90 percent—the best ever for pitchers with 250 or more opportunities.

  How Does a Pitcher Earn a Save?

  1. He finishes a game won by his team.

  2. He does not receive the win.

  3. He meets one of the following three criteria:

  a. Enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches at least one inning.

  b. Enters the game with the tying run either on base, at bat, or on deck.

  c. Pitches effectively for at least the last three innings.

  In the playoffs, where things really matter, Mariano has been nearly unhittable. He has helped New York win five World Series titles and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1999 Fall Classic.

  Only twenty-one pitchers in baseball history have tallied half the number of saves this slender hurler, known as the “Hammer of God,” has earned. Mariano has won the American League Rolaids Relief Man Award five times and has been voted an All-Star twelve times.

  Despite the accolades and accomplishments, Mariano stays humble and firmly rooted in his Christian faith. He lets his actions, instead of his words, do the talking.

  When asked if being called the greatest closer of all time embarrasses him, Mariano answered: “Yes, it does. It does make me uncomfortable because I don’t like to talk about myself. I just want to be able to contribute as much as I can for the team. And the rest is just blessings from the Lord.”

  The Lord has blessed Mariano with a long career, a beautiful family, and numerous records. Those are things many players would get a big head about. Not Mariano.

  “I’m thankful to my wife, my kids, my family, the organization, my teammates,” Mariano explains. “That’s what I’m thankful for, for where God has put me and for what God has done for my life—and that involves everything. More than proud, I’m thankful.”

  And that spirit of thankfulness carries Mariano through the good times and the bad—like those he experienced at the beginning of the 2012 season.

  2

  WARNING TRACK MISHAP

  Every team enters a baseball season with hope. Everybody is filled with excitement when pitchers and catchers show up for spring training in the middle of February. After a gloomy winter, baseball season bursts out with a promise of rebirth and sunnier times.

  Players know that anything can happen within the course of a 162-game season. There will be slumps and winning streaks, pennant races, and underdog stories. For example, who could’ve guessed that the Washington Nationals would go from National League East basement dwellers in 2010 to having the best record in baseball two years later?

  The New York Yankees, like they almost always seem to do, entered the 2012 campaign as the favorites to win the American League East. During the off-season, they’d added Raul Ibanez’s big bat and acquired two new starting pitchers—Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda. Add to that the return of Yankee great Andy Pettitte and Yankee fans already dreamed of their team’s twenty-eighth World Series title. Those dreams were a lot sweeter than the memories from the previous fall.

  Mariano Rivera pitched brilliantly for the Yankees during the 2011 American League Divisional Series against Detroit, but the Tigers still claimed the series three games to two. (Tomasso DeRosa/Four Seam Images via AP Images)

  As the top seed in the American League, the Yankees drew the Detroit Tigers in a best-of-five 2011 divisional series. The Bronx Bombers played like the best in their opening game, beating the Tigers 9–3. Two straight victories by Detroit struck fear in the Yankee faithful, but after New York rebounded for a 10–1 victory in Game 4, fans were certain the Yankees would pull out the deciding win at Yankee Stadium. Those hopes were dashed, however, when the Tigers gritted out a 3–2 victory to advance to the American League Championship Series.

  The Yankees’ season was over. Mariano pitched well in his two appearances, even lowering his earned run average in the playoffs to an unheard of 0.70. But because his team either won by a lot or lost close games, Mariano wasn’t able to add to his major league–leading 42 postseason saves.

  But hope springs eternal, especially when it’s spring and you’re wearing Yankee pinstripes.

  New York began the season near its spring training headquarters in Florida. Right out of the gate, the Yankees tested their mettle against the powerful Tampa Bay Rays. With the lead after eight innings, manager Joe Girardi called on Mariano to ice the victory. For his career, Mariano had converted 60 of 61 save chances against the Rays. However, Tampa thrilled the home crowd with a win by plating two runs in a ninth-inning rally.

  Mariano had blown his first save opportunity of the 2012 season. But less than a month later, the Yankee hurler had regained his regular form to notch five saves and post a 1–1 record. Then, during a sunny afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri, the unthinkable happened. The greatest closer of all time found himself crumpled on the warning track at Kauffman Stadium after injuring his right knee.

  No, Mariano didn’t trip coming out of the bullpen. Just like he’s recognized for shutting down teams at the end of games, Mariano is known for chasing down fly balls before the contest ever begins.

  The game against the Royals in early May started out like any other during Mariano’s eighteen years with the Yankees. The players arrived at the ballpark a few hours early, changed into warm-ups, and headed out for batting practice. Because American League pitchers don’t bat—due to the designated hitter rule—Mariano traditionally stations himself in center field to run down fly balls.

  During batting practice, pitchers usually have the duty of rounding up balls—and Mariano attacks the job with passion. While other players jog to pick up balls or stand at the fence talking, Mariano sprints around the outfield catching everything he can get to. The right-hander had played in the outfield growing up in Panama and even asked Girardi if he could play center field during a game before he retired.

  Girardi wanted to grant Mariano his wish of playing in the outfield but worried about the All-Star getting hurt during the game. But, as the Yankees found out, a manager can’t always control injuries.

  Unusual Outfielders

  Mariano Rivera isn’t the only great pitcher known for racing around the outfield shagging fly balls.

  The legendary Atlanta Braves pitching staff of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Denny Neagle, and Steve Avery often found themselves showing off their glove skills before games. Arguably one of the best rotations in major league history, these players helped the Braves win their division year after year in the 1990s. Atlanta even claimed the 1995 World Series title.

  These pitchers had incredible talent, pinpoint accuracy, and great velocity, but more than anything they possessed a competitive drive. They competed in everything—wins, strikeouts, hitting home runs in batting practice, even a game called “500” before actual games.

  While the rest of the Braves would usually stand near buckets of baseballs talking and barely paying attention during batting practice, Smoltz, Neagle, and the others would sprint around the outfield catching fly balls. A catch in the air was worth 100 points. A one-hopper scored fewer points. The first one to 500 points won … and they all wanted to win.

  Before the game on May 3, Mariano had chased down a ball in center field, leaping for it as he reached the warning track. Landing awkwardly on his right leg, the forty-two-year-old took a quick hop on his left leg before crashing into the wall. He immediatel
y grabbed his right knee, fell to the ground, and writhed in pain. Teammates in blue and gray uniforms looked worried as they stared at their bullpen anchor lying in the dirt.

  All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez watched the events transpire as he waited near home plate for his turn to bat. As Mariano went down, A-Rod immediately called to manager Joe Girardi, who ran to center field to check on his closer.

  “He’s been [chasing fly balls] and no one ever said a word,” Girardi said. “That’s part of who he is. You take that away from him, and he may not be the same guy, the same pitcher.”

  Mariano was helped from the field, put on a cart, and taken to Kansas University Med West hospital for a magnetic resonance imaging test. The diagnosis wasn’t good: a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and a damaged meniscus. The ACL is one of the four major ligaments in the knee. It stabilizes the knee and keeps the shinbone properly aligned with the thighbone. As a right-handed pitcher, Mariano pushes off using his right leg, so his right knee must be strong for him to have power behind his pitches.

  Mariano returned to the Yankee locker room after the game to face questions from reporters. The next day, newspapers and websites published headlines saying that the injury might force Mariano into retirement. CAREER MAY BE OVER read a headline in the New York Times.

  Watching the scene and hearing Mariano speak after the game, it was hard to argue with that assessment.

  “I got myself between the grass and the dirt, couldn’t pull my leg up, and twisted my knee,” he explained. “If it’s going to happen like that, at least it happened doing what I love to do. I love shagging balls. If I had it to do all over again, I’d do it again. No hesitations.”

  Mariano spoke deliberately, but when one reporter asked how his injury would affect the Yankees, he choked up.

  “Feel like I let the team down,” he said, holding back tears.

  His reaction proves what fans already knew: Mariano loves the Yankees and is a team-first player.