Did you miss the All-Star Game on Tuesday night? If so, you also missed Mariano Rivera's final All-Star Game appearance, as the future Hall of Famer and Yankees closer is retiring at the end of this season. Everyone in the stadium knew it, as did everyone at home (don't worry, if you somehow didn't know, FOX beat it into your head over the course of three hours that this was the most important thing to ever happen in history ever). Mo came in to "Enter Sandman" as per usual, but the players on both sides performed their own little tribute, giving him the field to himself so he could soak in the adoration of the New York crowd before he threw his last inning of all-star baseball.
Video: Mariano Rivera’s ovation and All-Star Game entrance
Video of the last time Mariano Rivera, baseball’s greatest closer, stepped onto the field for the All-Star Game.
Drew Hallowell
Before the game, Rivera told Joe Buck that he’s retiring despite his continued dominance because he wants to go out knowing he could still succeed -- he doesn’t want to come to the end of the line and be forced out by declining skills. Given he’s 43 years old and is in the midst of a season that’s as good as nearly anything he’s accomplished in baseball over the last 19 years, it’s hard to imagine him ever being anything but successful. I guess that’s the point, though.
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