What Chris Sale Told Us About Mariano Rivera at All-Star Game
Editor's Note: Jerry Beach is live at the 2026 All-Star Game, providing on-the-ground coverage for Lindy's Sports.
PHILADELPHIA - Chris Sale could have collected a cool bullet point on his resume during the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field, where he threw two perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts and earned the win in the American League's 3-0 victory.
Instead, the honor went to New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera, whose hitless eighth inning at Citi Field in his final Midsummer Classic earned him the honors.
Thirteen years later, Sale could not be happier that he didn't win the award.
"If you have an All-Star Game in New York City and Mariano Rivera touches the field, nothing else matters, you know what I mean?" Sale told me during the National League player availability prior to tonight's Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park.
The 2013 All-Star Game was a celebration of Rivera, who announced his plans to retire prior to the season. Rivera received a standing ovation from both teams as well as the sellout crowd at Citi Field as he took the mound.
"You're talking about a guy that is the ultimate professional," Sale said in between trying to dodge his umbrella crashing in the wind Monday. "Every interaction I had - I mean, I had like two years in the league at that time and just the way he treated me was incredible."
This umbrella almost fell a few times on Chris Sale. Me: "Sale scratched, umbrella." Him to a Boston writer: "That would happen to me." pic.twitter.com/jLG43WiVno
— Jerry Beach (@JerryBeach73) July 13, 2026
AL manager Jim Leyland utilized Rivera, whose 652 saves are by far the most of all time, in the eighth because he didn't want to risk an NL comeback erasing any chance of Rivera getting a save opportunity.
"I said to the players before the game, ‘I'm not a motivational speaker, but my motivation for tonight is to work our fannies off and bring in the greatest closer of all-time,'" Leyland said.
Sale said he was told he was one of the non-Rivera MVP candidates, though he couldn't remember if the conversation happened during or after the game.
And with Sale not starting for the NL Tuesday night, he might get another chance at MVP honors if his relief appearance breaks the right way.
Unless…
"The only guy that's ever been voted into the Hall of Fame at a 100 percent clip," Sale said. "If he comes out here and throws out the first pitch? He's the friggin' MVP."
Related: Mets Give Red Sox Fans Reasons To Cheer
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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 6:04 AM.