The Yankees' confidence in their closer has grown with every game-ending handshake. That's what we do. Two years after he left the small town of Puerto Caimito in Panama to sign with the Yankees, he had elbow surgery that cut short his Class A season and raised doubts about his future. There were questions about how resilient he would be in 1998, when he had the long winter to think about the ill-fated pitch he made to Cleveland's Sandy Alomar in Game 4 of the 1997 American League Division Series. Alomar turned it into a pivotal home run, and Rivera blew the save in a 3-2 Yankees defeat.
History is filled with pitchers whose careers soured after one critical mistake.
Pressure situations Rivera's fastball is exceptional in its velocity and movement. He thrives on the high-wire act that accompanies his role. I can't tell you how good it is,'' he says. No matter the predicament, Rivera's confidence is always high.