Andy Pettitte reveals how Mariano Rivera tore Achilles as Yankees Old-Timers' Day video emerges
At the time, it wasn't immediately clear how Rivera ended up injured, but Pettitte said that it happened during a fly ball.
4 Mariano Rivera plays during the first inning of the Yankees Old-Timers' Day Game before a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.
AP
Rivera tore his Achilles during the alumni game, his agent told reporters, and the Baseball Hall of Famer will have surgery next week.
'It was just a freak accident,' Pettitte said during WFAN's Yankees-Astros game broadcast on Saturday. 'It was just a fly ball and he just kind of flinched to go at it. Right when he did, he said he felt it pop. Terrible. I mean, I went in there sweating. He was in pain, so that's a tough injury.
'But he was alright. He was alright. Thank God it wasn't too serious.'
4 Mariano Rivera stumbles in the outfield during Old-Timers' Day on Saturday.
@stellar_jl319/x
4 Mariano Rivera grabs the back of his ankle after stumbling in the outfield during Old-Timers' Day on Saturday.
@stellar_jl319/x
A video on social media posted on Sunday appeared to show the moment Pettitte had described on radio when Rivera was playing in center field, which came in the half-inning after he legged out a single in the game.
It would be the second time Rivera suffered a serious leg injury while in the outfield. He was shagging fly balls before a May 2012 game and tore his ACL, costing him the rest of that season.
Another Yankees legend, Roger Clemens, had broken the news of Saturday's injury on the radio broadcast of the Yankees' 5-4 win over the Astros.
'It was a fun day until we just heard about Mariano,' he said. 'Mariano hurt his Achilles.'
4 Former New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada (l) watches from the dugout with former Yankees pitchers Andy Pettitte (c) and Mariano Rivera (r) during the Old Timers' Day Ceremony.
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Adding later: 'We all thought it was a hamstring. But I think it's a little worse than that.'
There had been plenty of excitement before the alumni game and Yankees manager Aaron Boone liked that the team had brought it back.
'It's something that makes our Old-Timers' Day unique,' Boone said. 'Seeing these guys out there, seeing your heroes that are well past their prime going out and still flashing a little bit, that makes for a cool thing.'
Saturday was the first time the game had been held since 2019, in part over concerns about injury.
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