Tracing the careers of four instrumental players who turned around the Yankees ball club, this book shares behind-the-scenes stories from their early days together in the minors through the 2013 season, and follows them on their majestic ride to the top of the baseball world. At a time when the New York Yankees were in free fall, having failed to win a World Series in 17 years and had not played in one in 14 years—the Bronx Bombers’ longest drought since before the days of Babe Ruth—along came four young players whose powerful impact returned the franchise to its former glory. They were a diverse group from different parts of the globe: Mariano Rivera, a right-handed pitcher from Panama, who was destined to become the all-time record holder in saves and baseball’s greatest closer; Derek Jeter, a shortstop raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, who would become the first Yankee to accumulate 3,000 hits; Jorge Posada, an infielder-turned-catcher from Puerto Rico, who would hit more home runs than any Yankees catcher except the legendary Hall of Famer Yogi Berra; and Andy Pettitte, a left-handed pitcher born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who would win more postseason games than any player in baseball history. Together they formed the “Core Four,” and would go on to play as teammates for 13 seasons during which time they would help the Yankees advance to the postseason 12 times, win the American League pennant seven times, and take home five World Series trophies. This book follows these phenoms from the minor leagues to the present, detailing their significant contributions to a winning major league franchise. This 2014 edition updates readers on Jeter’s struggles with injuries and recovery, Rivera’s final season, and Pettitte’s and Jeter’s plans moving forward. Phil Pepe is the author of more than 50 books on sports, including Few and Chosen Yankees: Defining Yankee Greatness Across the Eras , The Yankees: An Authorized History of the New York Yankees , as well as a biography of Yogi Berra, and collaborations with New York Yankee legends Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, and Whitey Ford. He is a former Yankees beat writer for the New York Daily News and a past president of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He lives in Englewood, New Jersey. David Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who won four World Series as a member of the Yankees. He is currently a commentator for the Yankees on the YES Network. Core Four The Heart and Soul of the Yankees Dynasty By Phil Pepe Triumph Books Copyright © 2014 Phil Pepe All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-60078-962-5 Contents Foreword by David Cone, Introduction, 1. Enter Mariano, 2. Handy Andy, 3. Southern Exposure, 4. Kalamazoo Kid, 5. Sticktoitiveness, 6. Hello Columbus, 7. New York, New York, 8. "Clueless Joe", 9. A Special Rookie, 10. Champs to the Core, 11. Posada's Time, 12. Say It Ain't So, Mo, 13. Oh Captain, My Captain, 14. Boone or Bust, 15. Breaking Up That Old Gang, 16. Lightning (A)Rod, 17. Return of the Prodigal, 18. Moving Day, 19. Core Fours of the Past, 20. New Home, 21. Bye Bye Andy, 22. Jorge's Rebellion, 23. Closure, 24. Hit Man, 25. Jeter, 26 The Kid, the Flip, the Dive, 27. Andy Returns ... Again, 28. False Step, 29. Rebound, Epilogue, Photo Gallery, CHAPTER 1 Enter Mariano Major league baseball scouts were not exactly beating a path to Panama in 1990, not like they were to San Pedro Macoris, the Dominican Republic; Santurce, Puerto Rico; or Caracas, Venezuela. In 1990, you journeyed to Panama to discover future stars of World Cup soccer or for the shrimp and sardines, not for baseball players. On February 17, 1990, when the Yankees signed an undrafted, free agent amateur named Mariano Rivera from the tiny fishing village of Puerto Caimito, Panama, a transaction deemed so inconsequential it never so much as made the agate of the New York newspapers. Only 24 Panamanians had ever appeared in a major league game, most of them up for little more than the proverbial cup of Jaramillo Especial. On the list of big leaguers from Panama were former Yankees Hector Lopez and Roberto Kelly; catcher Manny Sanguillen, a mainstay for the Pittsburgh Pirates that won six National League East titles and two World Series in the 1970s; Rennie Stennett, who tied a major league record on September 16, 1975, when he banged out seven hits for the Pirates in a game against the Chicago Cubs; and one Hall of Famer, Rod Carew, whose Panamanian mother gave birth to him on a racially segregated train in the town of Gatun in the Panama Canal Zone. When Carew was 14, his family migrated to the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, where he attended George Washington High School, which also produced Manny Ramirez and Dr. Henry Kissinger. Mariano Rivera was born on November 29, 1969, four months after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, 44 days after the New York Mets won their first World Series in a resounding upset