I have said it before, but for clarification, I am a huge fan of both the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. I can be, since one is AL and the other NL!

When I lived in central New Jersey a few years ago, I went to lots of Yankees games. The one moment, out of all of them, that stands out was the first time I saw Mariano Rivera come into the game. Nothing is cooler than the most confident pitcher in the modern era walking from the bullpen to the mound to Metallica's Enter Sandman. Holy crap that was awesome! People actually get tears in their eyes.

Last night, the retiring Mariano Rivera, good old #42, took the mound for one last time in the MLB All-Star game. For the 13th time, Rivera was an all-star and all eyes were on him. To ensure he pitched, Mo (Rivera's nickname) was called in for the bottom of the 8th inning. It was the first time he ever pitched in this game before the 9th and it was the best call baseball could have made.

As Enter Sandman began, Mo left the bullpen. Not a single player was on the field as he casually and confidently took the long walk to the mound. The stadium erupted, every player gave him a standing o. It was the moment to remember. Not only did the stadium erupt, but so did Twitter and all social media.

Rivera did what he came into the game to do: get 'em out 1-2-3.

Of note, Rivera is the last player that will wear the number 42 in major league baseball. And he did Jackie Robinson proud.

Thank you Mo. Enter Sandman will never be the same.

More coverage here.

Mariano Rivera's stats:

Win–loss record

77–60

Saves

638

Earned run average

2.20

WHIP

1.00

Strikeouts

1,151

 

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