MARIANO RIVERA was heading nowhere when he was sent back to the minors in his mid-20s. Then fate stepped in, a new pitch found him – not vice-versa – and the rest is Hall of Fame history for the most accomplished relief pitcher the game has ever seen.

BY JEFF SULLIVAN

2014 Panini Legendary Cuts #’d/25

He didn’t throw an actual baseball until he was 12 years old, instead using fishing nets in the shape of a ball. He was never a highly touted prospect, either, signing for just $3,000 at 20 years old, which is ancient for an international-born player, and he wasn’t protected in the 1992 expansion draft.

When 25-year-old Mariano Rivera was sent back to the Yankees’ Triple-A club affer four big-league starts and a double-digit ERA, he could barely touch 90 miles per hour with his fastball. His appeared to be a career headed nowhere, a few more years riding the buses and then back to his native Panama.