Mariano Rivera's latest stop on his farewell tour found him saying goodbye to the Minnesota Twins, and the New York Yankees closer was given perhaps the best gift of his life on Tuesday.
The Twins sent Mo out in style, presenting him with a rocking chair made of broken bats, dubbed the "Chair of Broken Dreams."
"The Chair of Broken Dreams." @Twins give Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera a rocking chair made from broken bats. pic.twitter.com/xecdVVZzu4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 3, 2013
This gift is perfect in so many ways.
For starters, the chair symbolizes how Mo has dominated the Twins over the years (and he sure has).
The Twins simply can't hit baseball's greatest closer of all time, batting .178 against him with just two home runs in 247 at bats, according to Baseball Reference. He's been even better at Target Field, where the Twins are batting .083 against him.
Rivera notched 33 saves against the Twins in his career going into Tuesday's game, which is the 10th most against any team, and sixth most outside of the AL East.
Quite a few dreams have been shattered by Mo for the Twins and their fans, making this chair properly named.
Twins give Mariano Rivera "The Chair of Broken Dreams" http://t.co/cIupS1GwDx
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) July 3, 2013
The chair also is a representation of Mo's upcoming retirement. Rocking chairs are often associated with aging, retired people, and Mo will soon be joining those ranks (at least in the fact that he's retiring).
Rivera has piled up the accolades and hardware over the years. He's a 12-time All Star and has had a fantastic career, but nothing will help him remember his dominance like the Chair of Broken Dreams.
It turns out that this awesome gift came from the brilliant mind of manager Ron Gardenhire, who wanted to give Rivera something to remember his time closing out games.
The Mariano Rivera "Chair of Broken Dreams" was the idea of @Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire. #MNTwins
— Dustin Morse (@Twins_morsecode) July 3, 2013
This was another great parting gift, and another successful stop for Mo on his retirement tour.
It's pretty awesome all the teams recognizing Mariano Rivera since he's retiring after the season. Guys a living legend. Class act
— Jimmy P (@JamesPozycki11) July 3, 2013
If this is what the Twins left him with, there's no telling what else will come on this tour.
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