Yankees closer Mariano Rivera was elected to the Hall of Fame yesterday, becoming the first player ever to receive a perfect 100% of the vote. The same day, the funeral for his former pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre was held in Bellevue, Washington. Teammate David Cone was there and shared this tremendous fact about the relationship between Stottlemyre and Rivera.
When you’re out on the open water, you want your boat to be reliable and get you back to shore safely every time, just like handing the ball to Rivera to close out the game.
Stottlemyre, who died on Jan.