SI Kids Sits Down with Yankees Legend Mariano Rivera

When pitcher Mariano Rivera retired after the 2013 season, he played 19 years in the majors and left the game with 652 saves — the most all time. Mo is a modern legend, and a lock for the Hall of Fame. But there’s more to his story than baseball. Rivera, the son of a fisherman, grew up in Panama, and when he tried out for the Yankees he did with mismatched clothes and a hole in his shoe. If baseball didn’t work out, he wanted to be a mechanic. Rivera documents the life he had as a youth — as well as his experiences as a pitcher — in his book The Closer. And now there’s a Young Readers Edition just for kids.

Rivera stopped by the SI Kids offices last week to talk with Kid Reporter AmiriTulloch about the YA version of The Closer, his life in and out of baseball, and what he misses about the game. 

Be sure to check out an excerpt from the Young Readers Edition of The Closer! Then go out and pick up a copy of the book, which is available now!