Wayne Coffey

Best-Selling Author & Journalist

The Closer

The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball.

He was a kid from a tiny Panamanian fishing village who arrived at his New York Yankees tryout with a mismatched uniform, a hole in his shoe, and no glove. He had spent the morning repairing fishing nets, then took two buses for ninety minutes to get to the field where he was supposed to throw baseballs for a scout.  He spoke no English, had no clue what was about to happen, and had no career plans, other than to become a mechanic in his native Panama. And then Mariano Rivera signed a contract for $2,000 and embarked on a journey that was powered by his unshakable faith and that made him the greatest relief pitcher in the annals of Major League Baseball, and a Hall of Famer. This is his story.

Critical Praise

"The author's preternatural calm clearly stems from a deep religious faith some nonbelievers will find disquieting, explaining his devastating cut fastball as a gift from God, his belief in miracles and his conviction that the Holy Spirit once spoke to him on the mound...Will be devoured by Yankee loyalists and happily sampled by all baseball fans."

Kirkus

"This man is greatness personified...There has never been anyone like this. And it's likely there never will be."

ESPN.com
MORE

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer posuere erat a ante."

Bob Hope

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer posuere erat a ante."