Exit Sandman: Baseball bids adieu to Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera, the all-time saves leader, will be the last major leaguer to regularly wear No. 42.
Chuck Solomon/SI
His hand and fingers were born to pitch. He has really long fingers and the perfect wrist; he can't move his hand much side to side, but it's very flexible up and down.
Walter Iooss Jr./SI
Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera both debuted with the Yankees in 1995 and have been teammates for 19 seasons.
Kathy Willens/AP
On May 11, Rivera met Ryan Bresette, his wife, Heather, and their three sons, Joe, 13, Sam, 9, and Tyler, 6, in the media room at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium. (The Bresettes' daughter, Anna, 14, was unable to attend the pregame gathering because of a soccer game.) Bresette worked as a clubhouse attendant for the Royals from 1982 to '94 and had never met Rivera.
Rivera meeting the Bresette family in Kansas City on May 11.
John Sleezer/Landov
This is something I haven't told too many people. When Mariano came over to me, I stuck out my hand to shake his hand, and he gave me a hug, pulled me close and whispered in my ear, "You're a stronger and braver man than I ever could be."
