The New York Yankees closer, who is retiring after this season, will be the last MLB player to wear 42, which was retired in 1997 in honor of Jackie Robinson (Rivera was in his second full season at the time, and players already wearing the number were allowed to continue to do so).
The Final 42: Looking Back At Mariano Rivera’s Phenomenal Career
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Mariano Rivera at spring training before his first season with the New York Yankees in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, 1995. Rivera originally played shortstop for Panama Oeste, a local amateur team, in 1988, but was passed over by the Yankees director of Latin American operations. A year later he started pitching and was signed by Raybourn in 1990.