NEW YORK — Mariano Rivera tore an Achilles tendon while going after a fly ball at the New York Yankees’ Old-Timers’ Day game Saturday and needs surgery.
Rivera’s agent Fern Cuza said the club’s 55-year-old former closer, MLB’s career leader in saves and a National Baseball Hall of Famer, will have the operation within a week.
In his lone at-bat, Rivera singled off former teammate Andy Pettitte and easily ran to first base. During an at-bat by Willie Randolph, Rivera took a step and fell to the ground in shallow center field behind second base.
The Yankees restored the Old-Timers’ Day game for the first time since 2019.
“It was a fun day until we heard about Mariano. Mariano hurt his Achilles,” seven-time American League Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens told WFAN broadcaster Suzyn Waldman. “I don’t know what was going on. We all thought it was a hamstring, but I think it’s a little worse than that. I think he’s at the hospital now. Unbelievable.”