Mariano Rivera is arguably the greatest relief pitcher in the history of baseball. His dominance and ability to lock down wins is legendary. Originally a starting pitcher Rivera advanced his career to iconic status after making the transition to the bullpen. It was there that he perfected his cutter a pitch that is both consistent and devastating. He spent the 1996 season setting up John Wetteland en route to capturing a World Series title. In 1997 with Wettelands departure Rivera became the full-time closer a role he has owned ever since. The 10-time All-Star has been a key cog in 5 World Series Championships was named MVP of both the 1999 World Series and the 2003 ALCS and is currently second on the all-time career saves list behind Trevor Hoffman. On June 28 2009 at Citi Field like he had done 499 times prior, Rivera nailed down the final outs of the game to record the 500th save of his illustrious career placing him 71 saves behind the all-time leader Trevor Hoffman. To commemorate the milestone Rivera has hand signed this 16x20 photo in silver ink and added the inscription 500th Save 6-28-09. A Steiner Sports Certificate of Authenticity is included.