One pitch. One team. A 1.000 WHIP, even.
Simplicity propelled Mariano Rivera to greatness. Now, however, as he prepares for his official baseball immortalization, the Yankees legend finds himself juggling about a million thoughts.
“It’s too much,” a relaxed-looking Rivera said recently in a conversation with The Post at his Westchester home. “It’s too much to comprehend. It’s too much to try to analyze.”
On Jan. 22, Rivera and his family sat in this house and received a phone call from Baseball Writers Association of American secretary-treasurer Jack O’Connell, who delivered life-changing news: Not only did the writers elect Rivera to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first chance, a slam dunk from the day the closer threw his last cut fastball in 2013, but they made him the first candidate to receive 100 percent support on their ballot — 425 votes from 425 voters — establishing a high-water mark that can be matched yet not surpassed.