MLB

Rivera honored before Yankees game

With flags of his native Panama waving above a sea of navy-blue Yankee caps, legendary closer Mariano Rivera was saluted in grand style Sunday as baseball’s greatest relief pitcher in an emotional stadium ceremony filled with hugs, history and humility.

Fighting back tears with the same success that hitters tried to fight off his signature fastball, Rivera soaked in accolades from giddy fans, thankful owners, sad teammates and his proud family.

As thousands of Yankee loyalists watched Rivera highlights on the giant stadium screen, a choked-up Rivera stood humbly by in the stadium’s Monument Park, smiling sheepishly as if the game against the Giants could not start soon enough.

Then came the guitar riff.

With Metallica playing live in center field and former Yankee greats such as Bernie Williams and Paul O’Neill taking pictures on their smartphones, the greatest closer in the history of the game walked — slowly this time — from the bullpen to the stage of his greatest triumph, the pitcher’s mound at Yankee Stadium.

There, Rivera exchanged hugs with former Yankees manager Joe Torre, Jeff Nelson, Jorge Posada, David Cone and Derek Jeter.

“To my teammates past and present,” Rivera said in a short speech before the game.”I appreciate you guys. The Lord has blessed me with a big family, and all these men have been a part of my family. I love you guys, and you are special.”

Moments earlier, Rivera had stood next to Jackie Robinson’s widow, Rachel Robinson, who was on hand to see her pioneering husband’s number finally officially retired in Yankee Stadium.

Rivera is the last major league player to wear Robinson’s iconic No. 42 jersey, which has been retired in every other ballpark. Rivera’s No. 42, was retired, too, in a special Monument Park ceremony.

“I would have loved to have met Mr. Jackie Robinson,” Rivera said. “But it’s a great pleasure and honor to be the last baseball player to ever wear 42. Even though I never met him, he has been a hero and inspiration for me.”

Then, Rivera played a little role reversal with Posada — as the retired catcher threw out the ceremonial first pitch — to Rivera.

Excited fans couldn’t get enough.

“We all had to be here to wish him well on his last day,” said Randy McDonald, 48, of Ithaca, who hit the road at 7 a.m. with his wife and four children to get to the stadium in time for the 1 p.m. ceremony.

“There’s no better way to spend a day than with Mo.”

They were all wearing No. 42 jerseys.

But some fans were disappointed with Metallica because of its apparent equipment problems.

“This is the climax of the whole thing,” said Brad Wagner, 31, of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a live-concert production-camera operator:

“What a disappointment. The output didn’t go to any of the stadium speakers.We’re just hearing the stage speakers. I do this for a living.This went bad, at the worst possible moment.”

Still, the ceremony was extra special because another Yankee great, Andy Pettitte, was the starting pitcher and could hand the ball off to Rivera. Pettitte has also announced that this would be his last season.