THE CLOSER

Baseball’s all-time save leader tells his story.

With the assistance of seasoned sportswriter Coffey and veteran’s children’s author Corbett, Rivera shares with young readers the remarkable tale of how a gangly Panamanian fisherman came to be one of the most famous pitchers in baseball history. Having grown up in a two-room house with no phone and dropped out of high school in the ninth grade, this humble fisherman’s son lacked his own glove and cleats when the Yankees signed him in 1990, at age 20, to be a pitcher. What Rivera exhibited at his audition for the Yankees and would be known for throughout his nearly 20-year career was not a dazzling variety of pitches but steely control and reserve in pressure situations. The children’s edition of this straight-laced family man’s life focuses on reminiscences of playing in the minor leagues, the World Series and the hardship of life on the road. It pares down some of the adult version’s (2014) more extended comments on other players’ conduct and steroid usage, as well as some of the proselytizing from the devout closer. His voice, though filtered through two co-authors, is endearing and often funny.

Though a bit scrubbed, Rivera’s account offers engaging insight into the thrills and trials of getting the last out of the season.