Enter Sandman: NY Yankees legend Mariano Rivera visits Stamford grocery store
The Hall of Fame closer visited ShopRite to launch his new hot sauce brand, Mo's Heat.
More Stories
The ShopRite in Stamford made a call to the bullpen.
Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera visited the grocery store Wednesday to launch his new hot sauce brand, Mo's Heat.
The New York Yankees legend posed for pictures with the hundreds of fans who showed up.
"He was here a couple of weeks ago doing the Stamford Little League thing and I missed it," says Nicole Caccamo, of Norwalk. "To be around somebody, and to be alive during that era, was pretty amazing, so it's a big deal."
The store even blasted Rivera's iconic entrance song, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica over the loudspeakers as he arrived.
"You knew what was going to happen when 'Enter Sandman' came on," said Greg Hirshorn, of Fairfield. "It was like we were back in 1996, 1998, that kind of run... it was unbelievable!"
The five-time World Series champion spent his entire career with the NY Yankees.
"We have little kids who weren't even born yet when Mariano retired that were here to meet him," says Tom Cingari, Jr., vice president of Cingari Family Markets. "He's such a larger-than-life figure."
Rivera retired following the 2013 season, and still holds the Major League record for most career saves (652).
"Mariano was one of my favorites," says Rachel Kichar, of Seymour. "To have my young son here too... it means the world."
More than a decade since stepping off the mound for the final time, the Hall of Famer is still amazed by the amount of fans that came out to meet him.
"I've been retired for 13 years, and having all these fans here supporting me is amazing," Rivera says. "To receive that same love and same passion back... that's something I'm proud of."
