Who

One of the most dominant relief pitchers ever to play the game, unflappable Rivera has been the Yankees' star closer for a decade.

Backstory

A native of Panama, where his father was a fisherman, Rivera grew up using a milk carton as a baseball glove. Signed by a Yankees scout in Panama in 1990, Rivera ("Mo" to his teammates) debuted with the Yankees in 1995. After serving as John Wetteland's setup man on the team's 1996 World Series squad, he took over the closer's job the next year and never looked back. To date, he has four World Series rings, eight All-Star nods, and over 400 saves, enough to give him an outside shot at Trevor Hoffman's record. The 37-year-old player battled arm problems during the 2006 season, and threatened to walk away as a free agent during the offseason if the team didn't give him an extension. He got it, and returned for the 2007 season at a $10.5 million salary.

Of note

Though his regular-season accomplishments are nothing to sneer at, Rivera's reputation has been made in the playoffs. He was unstoppable during the Yankees' three-year championship run from 1998 through 2000, converting 23 consecutive postseason saves and pitching 34.3 consecutive scoreless innings; both are records. His 34 saves and 0.80 lifetime ERA in the playoffs are also records. Although he has remained an elite closer into the 21st century, he's had a couple of memorable missteps. Most famously, he blew a save in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series against Arizona and blew another in Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series against the hated Boston Red Sox. That said, it's unlikely that the Yanks would trade closers with any team in the league, and his signature pitch—a cut fastball with late movement that is famous for shattering bats—still strikes fear into hitters.

Drama

Since 1999, Rivera has run in from the bullpen to "Enter Sandman," by Metallica. But in 2005, the Mets picked up closer Billy Wagner, who also used the same song for his own introduction. While fans cried foul, Rivera dismissed the controversy, saying: "If the guy feels comfortable using the song, then let him be." Of course, it probably didn't hurt that Rivera pays so little attention to the song that didn't even know the words until 2003.

On the side

Rivera is part owner of Mo's New York Grill, a steakhouse in New Rochelle.

No joke

Rivera is a devout Christian. He claims God spoke to him during a game in 1999 and he's suggested he may become an evangelical minister when he eventually retires. In the meantime, his glove is inscribed with a phrase from Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

Personal

Rivera and his wife Clara have three sons, Mariano Jr., Jafet and Jaziel. Rivera has an apartment in Manhattan and a house in Purchase, New York. (He relocated his family to New York from Panama in 2000 out of fear for their safety.) Sadly, his home in Puerto Caimito, Panama was the scene of a tragic accident in 2004 when two of his wife's cousins died after an electrical cable fell into the pool.