After his retirement in 2013, it was inevitable that Mariano Rivera would someday be inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s fitting that he’s the first unanimous selection into Cooperstown because throughout his career he was not only Hall of Fame player but a Hall of Fame person.
Mo was everything you want in a major leaguer and represented the Yankees franchise with the utmost class over the course of his 19-year career. Nobody’s perfect but he was as close to perfect as it gets every time he took the mound. He holds the all-time record for saves with 652, made 13 All-Star games and won 5 world championship during his time in pinstripes.