The New York Yankees honored closer Mariano Rivera on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, making him likely one of the only players in sports history to have his number retired before he was actually retired and to honor the moment, the team had the band Metallica play their song "Enter Sandman", which the closer uses as his entrance music.
The performance came during a long pregame ceremony that pushed the game later into the afternoon and included a number of former teammates, coaches as well as past Yankees players and honored the man that many believe is the greatest closer in baseball history and one of the greatest pitchers ever. Michael Kay and John Sterling handled the intros and Rivera was brought in to speak from the bullpen, where Metallica played live as he made his way to the field.
Rivera was honored with a number of gifts from the Yankees and the visiting Giants and the band also gave him a custom made gift. His number was put in Monument Park along with all the other Yankees greats and Rivera made a speech that included him thanking the late George Steinbrenner. Rivera said he was very emotional and a five minute video was also played at the stadium for fans and to honor Rivera's career.
Rivera is the all-time saves leader in baseball and he has five World Series championships as well as the postseason record for saves and appearances. His cutter is considered to be one of the deadliest pitches ever and it's one he has been using effectively for many years and now he will finish his career on the road after his final game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
