Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera, Mariano Rivera made the final Yankee Stadium appearance of his Hall of Fame career in the Bombers’ home finale, but it wasn’t the four outs he recorded that will be remembered for eternity.

Instead, it was the sight of Rivera crying uncontrollably on the mound while embracing his two Core Four teammates, who had been sent out by Joe Girardi with two outs in the ninth to make the pitching change that signaled the end of an era in the Bronx. “They both came to get me out and I was thankful they came out,” Rivera said. “I needed them there and they were there.”

Despite the fact that the Yankees’ 4-0 loss to the Rays marked the first meaningless final home game of the season for the club since 1993, the sellout crowd of 48,675 will have plenty to remember from the night.

From Rivera’s Bleacher Creature roll call to the endless chants of “Ma-ri-a-no!” all game long, it was clear that the closer was going to be the centerpiece of an otherwise mundane evening.

Even then, nobody had any idea of what was yet to come. With Tampa Bay leading by four runs after scoring twice in the eighth, Girardi brought in Rivera with one out and runners at first and second.

Rivera jogged in from the bullpen as a recording of Bob Sheppard announced his entrance. The crowd stood and applauded – as did the Rays, who emerged from their dugout to give the closer a standing ovation of their own.