Former teammates of Mariano Rivera poured out overwhelming congratulations Tuesday night after the legendary New York Yankees closer became the first player to be unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
One those teammates was Derek Jeter, who patrolled shortstop behind Rivera for the majority of his career.
Jeter penned a touching tribute letter to “Mo” on The Players’ Tribune.
“More people have walked on the moon than have scored an earned run off of Mariano Rivera in the postseason,” Jeter wrote. “And while no statistic could ever truly encapsulate Mariano, I figure this one is as close as we’re going to get. Because I think it really gives you a sense of what sort of greatness we’re dealing with, when it comes to Mo.”
But one thing stood out about No. 2’s glowing homage. The former Yankee shortstop, who will join the Hall of Fame ballot in 2020, forgot to include any mention of another Cooperstown-bound teammate of his — Mike Mussina.
The two shared a clubhouse for eight seasons, and now Mussina has nothing to show for it. Well … except for the whole baseball immortality thing.
There was one former Yankee that included Mussina in his remarks, and of all people, it was Alex Rodriguez.
What a #HOF2019 class! Congrats to my brother, Mariano Riviera, on becoming the first player to be elected unanimously. So happy for all four inductees, including my mentor Edgar Martinez, my teammate Mike Mussina and the late Roy Halladay, one of the best I ever faced.
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) January 22, 2019
So there you have it.
Alex Rodriguez: better teammate than Derek Jeter.
