Mariano Rivera blew the heater by Javy Lopez, and the swing-and-miss strike put the Yankees just three outs away from winning their first World Series championship in 18 years.
This may come as a surprise to some, but none of Mo’s pitches during the 1996 Fall Classic were his now-famous cutter. He didn’t develop the pitch — or rather receive the divine gift — until the following season. Rivera had produced one of the greatest seasons ever by a relief pitcher, yet he was still a work in progress.
The Yankees handed the closer job to Rivera in the 1997 season.