Mariano Rivera inscribes ‘thank-you’ message inside bullpen as final Fenway Park act

Mariano Rivera spent time between innings talking with fans in the Fenway Park bleachers and signing autographs for them. They've all been through a lot together, and this — unless the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox meet in an unlikely playoff series — probably was his last game in Boston.

Rivera didn't get to pitch at all during the three-game set, which the Red Sox swept by beating the Yankees 9-2 on Sunday night. The Yankees, winners of the past two AL East titles and 13 of 17, were eliminated from winning the division.

Over three days in Boston, the most extensive time Rivera saw on the field was during batting practice and in a pregame ceremony Sunday. The Red Sox gave him a number of gifts, including a poem, but Rivera left something else of himself behind. A written message inside of the visitor's dugout:

Mariano Rivera
Last to wear #42
Thank you for everything

Like most other things with Rivera, the message is simple, right to the point and gets the job done. Most of the other graffiti written by MLBers at Fenway probably can be found inside of the Green Monster.
Rivera, who announced he is retiring at the end of the season, said before the game he hoped to pitch at Fenway again. If he doesn't, he certainly has left his mark like few others.