Mariano Rivera made the most of an opportunity to pick up the lumber Saturday at Yankees Old-Timers' Day.
New York's traditional alumni game commemorated the 25th anniversary of their 2000 World Series team which included Yankee legends like Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada. The game, which normally spans two or three innings, gave the Hall of Fame closer a chance to step up to the plate as Pettitte was on the hill.
Rivera was locked in and laced a ground ball through the infield and into left for a single. The base hit moved Posada to second and put a big smile on Rivera's face as he rounded first base and laughed with Pettitte while getting some praise from Johnny Damon.
Not too shabby from Major League Baseball's all-time leader in saves:
Need the exit velo from this @MarianoRivera single 🔥#OldTimersDay pic.twitter.com/4d00ShrShD
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 9, 2025
Rivera didn't record a hit over his illustrious 19-year career that included 13 All-Star appearances and five World Series titles. He only had four plate appearances and three at-bats, though. There's no reason for a closer—especially one in the American League while Rivera played—to take at-bats. Maybe he should've gotten a chance here and there at the dish, though.
His hard-hit ball on Pettitte is a base hit in any league.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mariano Rivera Hit a Base Knock Off Andy Pettitte at Yankees Old-Timers' Day.
