The YES Network will premiere a special Yankees Classics presentation entitled Mariano Rivera: Enter Sandman at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 10: Rivera’s best outing as a New York Yankees starter, the July 4, 1995, game against the Chicago White Sox in which he pitched eight innings of two-hit, 11-strikeout shutout ball at Comiskey Park. The future Hall of Famer threw 129 pitches over eight innings before John Wetteland relieved him in the ninth. The box score can be found here.
YES will enhance the Mariano Rivera: Enter Sandman telecast by embedding into it new commentary from Rivera, then-Yankees manager Buck Showalter, Bernie Williams (the Yankees’ center fielder that day) and Robin Ventura, who played third base and batted fourth for the White Sox that day. Rivera, Showalter, Williams and Ventura -- along with YES’ current Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay, who was WABC Radio’s Yankees analyst in 1995 -- were interviewed for the special by Jack Curry, YES’ current Yankees reporter who covered that 1995 game for The New York Times.
“That was a special day for me, as everything seemed to fall into place,” said Rivera. “It was my first start since I was brought up again from Columbus, so I had a lot to prove. Who would have known at that time that it would end up being the highlight of my career as a Yankees starter?”
Rivera had made his Major League debut with the Yankees on May 23, 1995, but was sent down to Columbus, Ohio, the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, on June 11. The July 4 White Sox game was Rivera’s first start for the Yankees after returning to the club from Columbus. His eight innings pitched, 129 pitches and 11 strikeouts were all career-highs for him. The two hits he gave up that day were to future Hall of Famer Frank Thomas.
Rivera made several more starts for New York that season and was briefly sent down to Columbus again before a Sept.10, 1995, appearance out of the Yankees bullpen, after which he never again started a game. Excluding the July 4, 1995, game, he never pitched more than six complete innings in a game in his MLB career.
