words & images // Brennan Hiro Williams
One week ago today, Mariano Rivera injured his right knee, effectively ending his season, and left baseball fans everywhere wondering if the 42-year-old closer would ever pitch again. Naturally, while everyone else was freaking out, Rivera reassured his fans, telling reporters, "I'm coming back. Write it down in big letters. I'm not going out like this."
Rivera has a difficult journey ahead of him, including surgery in the coming weeks. When he begins the recovery process, Nike, his longtime sponsor, will be right there with him. Earlier this week, the team at Nike Training sent Rivera two custom pairs of the Nike Air Trainer 1.3 Max Breathe to use when he gets back on his feet. Both colorways (Pitch Blue / Reflective Silver / White / Varsity Red and White / Reflective Silver / Pitch Blue) feature customization on the heel, tongue and forefoot, including "4:13," a reference to Rivera's favorite Biblical verse.
With 608 saves (the all-time record) and five World Series rings, Rivera doesn't have anything left to prove to us, but maybe this time he has something to prove to himself. Yankees fan or not, we'll be rooting for you, Mo.
Take a closer look at Mariano Rivera's custom pairs of the Nike Air Trainer 1.3 Max Breathe in the photos below.
