Yankees great Mariano Rivera plays in Old-Timers' Day a year after Achilles injury: 'I love it'

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Aug 8, 2026

Published in Baseball

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NEW YORK — Mariano Rivera made a momentous return to the Old-Timers’ Day game, playing in Saturday afternoon’s nostalgia-evoking exhibition 364 days after he suffered an Achilles tear during the same event.

MLB’s all-time saves leader pitched a scoreless top of the first at Yankee Stadium, where he faced Mickey Rivers, Nick Swisher, Johnny Damon and Shane Spencer.

At the plate, Rivera hit a deep fly ball to center field, which former teammate Bernie Williams tracked down.

“Injuries are gonna happen, and I’m OK with that,” Rivera said before the game. “Just being on the field, it’s great. I love it.”

Rivera, 56, injured his leg while playing center field during the 2025 edition of the Old-Timers’ game, requiring surgery.

A few hours before Saturday’s game, the Yankees announced Rivera’s participation by posting on social media that he had been reinstated from the 364-day injured list.

“I still have to do the therapy,” Rivera said, noting with a laugh that the recovery process has been “tough.”

“But I continue going and moving better, and I’m here. I’m good enough to be here.”

As a player, Rivera tore the ACL in his right knee while shagging fly balls during batting practice in Kansas City in 2012, his second-to-last season.

Saturday’s grand return marked Rivera’s third time appearing in the Old-Timers’ game. The annual alumni event did not feature a traditional game from 2019-24.

“We are keeping an eye on him, because he gets a little crazy,” quipped former catcher Jorge Posada, who was Rivera’s longtime batterymate.

“Mo’s special. Mo wants to win,” Posada continued. “Mo wants to be out here, and after having an Achilles tendon [injury] last year, being out here, it says a lot about the way he was as a player.”

Rivera spent his entire 19-year MLB career from 1995-2013 with the Yankees and won five championships, including in 1999, when he was the World Series MVP.

His 652 saves remain an MLB record, as do his 952 games finished.

“I’m excited to see him,” said former reliever Dellin Betances. “He’s like a robot, so I know he’s not gonna miss a spot.”

Rivera, who pitched to a 2.21 ERA in the regular season and a 0.70 ERA over 96 playoff appearances, went into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 as the first — and still the only — unanimous inductee.

Among the other ex-Yankees who joined Rivera at Old-Timers’ Day on Saturday were former teammates Paul O’Neill, David Cone, Tino Martinez, Hideki Matsui, Orlando Hernandez and Alfonso Soriano, as well as his longtime manager, Joe Torre.

Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Roy White and the widows of Thurman Munson, Bobby Murcer and Billy Martin also attended the 78th edition of Old-Timers’ Day.

“When I was playing, this day to me was special, because I would see all the old men that I could learn from. … Now, me being one of them, is special. It’s something I will never get over,” Rivera said.

“It wasn’t just conversations. It was something I could apply to my game. To me, that was beautiful. Whitey Ford. ‘Whitey, how’d you do this thing? You did it. You did it before us.’ … I was grateful for that.”