Ruben Rivera's Giants career is known for one thing. And while the Duane Kuiper call is fantastic ...
... the Jon Miller call is iconic.
You might think it's a shame that Rivera is known only for a baserunning blunder, but that's not true! He's also remembered for stealing Derek Jeter's glove. And he's also remembered for being the #2 prospect in 1995, just ahead of Chipper Jones and Derek Jeter.
If you're wondering what he's up to these days, he's still playing baseball. Here he is in a 3-2 count with two outs and the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in the ninth inning of a World Baseball Classic elimination game.
You can read a book on Rivera's career and why he couldn't live up to his physical promise. Or you could watch that GIF a few times. But, to be fair, he's been putting up Barry Bonds-like numbers in the Mexican League for some time now. Well, pre-chemistry Bonds numbers, at least. Rivera was also teammates with Damon Minor in 2006! That seems important to point out.
So today is Ruben Rivera Remembrance Day. Well, Monday was, really. But to have RRRD replace Memorial Day would have been ... flippant, at best.
To Ruben Rivera! He came, did the baserunning thing, and the Giants won 100 games. Heck, they won that very game. But for some reason, it still stands out as one of those great moments in Giants history. The Ruben Rivera play what happens when you play the Angel Pagan inside-the-park home run backwards looking for hidden Satanic messages. And, my, how we're grateful for it.
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