Mickey River

John Milton "Mickey" Rivers (born October 30, 1948) is a former American Major League Baseball center fielder celebrated for his blistering speed and consistent contact hitting. Emerging from Miami Northwestern Senior High School and later Miami Dade Community College, Rivers earned the nickname "Mick the Quick" due to his ability to turn singles into extra‑base hits and steal bases at a prodigious rate, leading the American League with 70 steals in 1975. He debuted with the California Angels on August 4, 1970, initially playing part‑time before becoming the everyday starter in 1974, where he led the league in triples and solidified his reputation as a leadoff catalyst.

In December 1975 Rivers was traded to the New York Yankees, a move that propelled the club to back‑to‑back World Series titles in 1977 and 1978. During his Yankee tenure he earned an All‑Star selection (1976), batted .312 with 43 stolen bases, and posted career highs in home runs (8) and RBIs (67). His postseason performance was equally impressive, batting .308 across 29 games and delivering clutch moments such as the iconic bat he handed to Bucky Dent for the 1978 one‑game playoff heroics. After a mid‑season trade to the Texas Rangers in 1979, Rivers set a franchise record with 210 hits in 1980 and concluded his career on September 30, 1984, the day the Angels’ Mike Witt threw a perfect game. Post‑retirement he turned to training racehorses in Florida, while his children, Mickey Jr. and Rhonda, pursued baseball and education respectively. Rivers is remembered not only for his statistical achievements—267 career steals, a .295 lifetime average, and 1,660 hits—but also for his colorful personality, memorable quotes, and lasting legacy within baseball lore.