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Happy Birthday To Harrison’s Mariano Rivera

HARRISON, N.Y. -- Happy Birthday to Harrison’s Mariano Rivera!

Mariano Rivera turns 44 on Friday.

Mariano Rivera turns 44 on Friday.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia commons

Mariano Rivera, who owns a house in Harrison, turns 44 on Friday.

Rivera, a Panamanian former baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons for the Yankees, from 1995 to 2013, was born Nov. 29, 1969, in Panama City. He was nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman".

Rivera spent most of his career as a relief pitcher and served as the Yankees' closer for 17 seasons. A 13-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, he is MLB's career leader in saves (652) and games finished (952). Rivera won five American League (AL) Rolaids Relief Man Awards and three Delivery Man of the Year Awards, and he finished in the top three in voting for the AL Cy Young Award four times.

Rivera was named the 1999 World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the 2003 AL Championship Series MVP, and he holds several postseason records, including lowest earned run average (ERA) (0.70) and most saves (42).

Rivera is regarded within baseball as one of the most dominant relievers in major league history. His career 2.21 ERA and 1.00 WHIP are the lowest in the live-ball era among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched. In 2013, the Yankees retired his uniform number 42; he was the last major league player to wear the number full-time, following its league-wide retirement in honor of Jackie Robinson. Rivera has been involved in philanthropic causes and the Christian community through the Mariano Rivera Foundation.

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