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| Mickey Rivers | |
|---|---|
 Rivers in 2010 | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born: (1948-10-30)October 30, 1948 (age 76) Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 4, 1970, for the California Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1984, for the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .295 |
| Home runs | 61 |
| Runs batted in | 499 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Milton "Mickey" Rivers (born October 30, 1948) is an American formerbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball from 1970 to 1984 for theCalifornia Angels,New York Yankees andTexas Rangers. As a Yankee, he was part of twoWorld Series championship teams, both defeating theLos Angeles Dodgers, in1977 and1978. "Mick The Quick" was generally known as a speedy leadoff hitter who made contact and was an excellentcenter fielder, with a below-average throwing arm.
Rivers graduated fromMiami Northwestern Senior High School in 1967. The legend of "Mick the Quick" began during his amateur days atMiami Dade Community College. A fast and athleticoutfielder, Rivers emerged as one of the team stars, but once disappeared just moments before the start of a game. His teammates and coaches later discovered Rivers asleep under a nearby tree.
Originally signed by theAtlanta Braves, Rivers began his big league career in 1970 with the Angels, playing center field. He stayed with them through the 1975 season. Rivers played part-time in his first few years, until becoming the starter in 1974. He led theAmerican League intriples both years and stole a career-high 70 bases in 1975, tops in the league.[1]
Rivers was acquired along withEd Figueroa by the Yankees from the Angels forBobby Bonds on December 11, 1975,[2] a trade that immediately paid dividends for the Yankees. Figueroa won 19 games and Rivers enjoyed a career year. Rivers was named to theAll-Star team, batted .312, stole 43 bases and posted then-career highs inhome runs (8) andruns batted in (67).[3] Rivers placed third in theMost Valuable Player voting behind teammateThurman Munson andGeorge Brett[4] and was named an outfielder onThe Sporting News AL All-Star team.
Rivers posted good numbers in his two other full Yankee seasons, including a .326batting average in 1977, but was traded in the middle of the 1979 season to Texas.
Now with the Rangers, Rivers set the single-season record forhits by a Ranger with 210 in 1980. He concluded his career in 1984 with a .295 lifetime average, 267stolen bases and 1,660 hits. Rivers posted a .308 average in his 29 postseason games.[5]
While Rivers played for them, the Yankees won the World Series in 1977 and 1978, both times against theLos Angeles Dodgers.[6] They won the 1976 pennant, but lost in the World Series to theCincinnati Reds. In the1978 one-game playoff against theBoston Red Sox, Rivers reportedly gave a bat "with a home run in it" toBucky Dent, who proceeded to hit a home run overthe Green Monster inFenway Park to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.[7]
In 1983, Rivers got into a fistfight with teammateMike Richardt on a plane trip home, over what Richardt called a “misunderstanding”.[8]
On September 30, 1984, in Rivers' final major league game, he and the Rangers were the victims of the Angels'Mike Witt'sperfect game, Witt winning 1-0.[9]
Bill James ranked Mickey Rivers as the 59th greatest center fielder of all time. His stooped shuffle as he ambled to the plate masked quick speed out of the box on bunts and sustained speed around the bases. He would often twirl his bat after each pitch.
Rivers was honored with many of his teammates from the1977 World Series champion New York Yankees in the Yankee Old Timers Game in 2007.
InThe Bronx Is Burning, theESPN miniseries based on the1977 Yankees, he was portrayed byLeonard Robinson and depicted as experiencing financial problems.
WhenReggie Jackson remarked to a reporter that he had anIQ of 160, Rivers responded, "Out of what, a thousand?". Rivers' tenure in the Bronx produced other classic quotes, such as when he tried to explain the bizarre dynamics of the Yankees, who featured controversial ownerGeorge Steinbrenner and contentious managerBilly Martin. "Me and George and Billy," Rivers said, "we’re two of a kind." According toGoose Gossage, when the newly acquired reliever went through a rough stretch of blown saves, Rivers once jumped on top of the bullpen car to prevent Gossage from entering the game.[10]
He was portrayed as the representation ofYankee imperialism byGarrett Morris in the "Bad Red Chinese Ballet"sketch in the November 18, 1978 installment ofSaturday Night Live.[11]
After baseball, Rivers began trainingracehorses in his nativeFlorida. His son, Mickey Jr., playedminor league baseball in theRangers organization, and his daughter Rhonda is a teacher in theHouston area.