The Closer

By: Mariano Rivera, Wayne Coffey

Narrated by: Michael Kay

The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball.

Mariano Rivera, the man who intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door, began his incredible journey as the son of a poor Panamanian fisherman. When first scouted by the Yankees, he didn't even own his own glove. He thought he might make a good mechanic. When discovered, he had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, spoke no English, and couldn't imagine Tampa, the city where he was headed to begin a career that would become one of baseball's most iconic.

What he did know: that he loved his family and his then girlfriend, Clara, that he could trust in the Lord to guide him, and that he could throw a baseball exactly where he wanted to, every time. With astonishing candor, Rivera tells the story of the championships, the bosses (including The Boss), the rivalries, and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics.

The thirteen-time All-Star discusses his drive to win; the secrets behind his legendary composure; the story of how he discovered his cut fastball; the untold, pitch-by-pitch account of the ninth inning of Game 7 in the 2001 World Series; and why the lowest moment of his career became one of his greatest blessings. In The Closer, Rivera takes readers into the Yankee clubhouse, where his teammates are his brothers. But he also takes us on that jog from the bullpen to the mound, where the game -- or the season -- rests squarely on his shoulders.

We come to understand the laserlike focus that is his hallmark, and how his faith and his family kept his feet firmly on the pitching rubber. Many of the tools he used so consistently and gracefully came from what was inside him for a very long time -- his deep passion for life; his enduring commitment to Clara, whom he met in kindergarten; and his innate sense for getting out of a jam. When Rivera retired, the whole world watched -- and cheered. In The Closer, we come to an even greater appreciation of a legend built from the ground up.

A story of a fisherman’s son becoming the best closer of all time

After hearing Mariano’s story, you can understand how he was able to tune out distractions and perform at the highest level in the most stressful situations.
Michael Kay was a natural to narrate this story for Mo.
loved it.

Excellent book!

Love the way he explains dealing with his faith throughout his career, I do believe and lost me going into sooooo much irrelevant details about games.

Obviously a book for Rivera Fans

What did you love best about The Closer?

Mostly the detailed account of Rivera's life before he made it to the major leagues.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Closer?

There were so many memorable moments. His early struggles which he learned to put behind him to become the greatest closer of all time

Which scene was your favorite?

When he first arrived in Tampa, not knowing a word of English. He had never heard of Hank Aaron. This very young, uneducated boy. He befriended a teammate who wanted to learn Spanish and so they each taught their native languages to each other.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh yes. I had trouble putting it down. Mariano Rivera is my favorite all time baseball player; I can never get enough of him.

Any additional comments?

I think Michael Kay did an excellent job of reading this book. He knows Mariano very well, and I'm sure that helped. On a personal note, baseball games will never be as much fun for me now that Mo has retired. He was such an incredible athlete and a joy to watch. He will be missed on the Yankee Stadium mound for years to come.

great story from one of the greats.

as a baseball fan I found this book educational and fun.its good to get a ballplayers prospective on the life of a baseball player from start to finish

Worth the work to find Mariano's voice

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook very much even though it took a bit of work to find the Mariano's voice and heart through the co-writer and the narrator.

I've heard Mariano in press conferences. I have a bit of an idea of how he talks. I often felt that the book had phrasing that reflected a sports writer more than the athlete himself. Mariano also has a fairly strong accent that was not reflected by the narrator who sounded more like a sportscaster than a biography narrator. Not only did the narrator make no attempt at a Latino accent when appropriate, he actually mangled some Spanish names.

However, the story does reward the effort and perseverance. We get a behind the scenes look into the life, faith and skill of one of baseball's best and best-loved.