Mariano Rivera didn’t just become the first player unanimously elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, he may be the first to play a significant role in each of his fellow inductees’ careers.
Much has been made about how well Edgar Martinez hit off Rivera, but of Rivera’s 652 regular-season saves, only Andy Pettitte (72) started and won more of them than Mike Mussina (49), who will go into Cooperstown with Rivera in July.
And then there’s Roy Halladay, who may also be the only player to get Rivera fined by his teammates.
Before the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in 2008, Rivera and Halladay — still with the Blue Jays — spoke together in the outfield and Rivera gave the right-hander some pointers on his cutter.