May 9, 2058
by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
With the crack of the bat in last night’s game against Twin Cities, Juan Rivera achieved another milestone in his illustrious career by recording his 3,000th hit. Rivera, currently #3 on the all-time HR leaderboard, was a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame before the achievement, but it still brings a smile to his face.
“I wasn’t sure when or if it was gonna happen,’ Rivera said after the game. “The past couple seasons have been riddled with injuries and it’s definitely more difficult to get out of bed these days. My hip’s been bothering me lately, but I had to be out there on the field against the River Monsters. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win, but I’ll still have a little celebration after the game.”
LF Juan Rivera
The line on his aging body was a bit of foreshadowing because the very next day the slugger was helped off the field after a 3rd inning RBI double. He was later diagnosed with a torn right hamstring; the same injury he suffered on his left hamstring in 2056 and strained again at the end of 2057. He also tore his PCL in his left leg in 2057 and missed the remainder of the season.
“It was great to see the boys win a championship, but I wanna be out there when we win it this year,” Rivera stated. “I’ll do whatever it takes to rehab this injury and stay healthy for the rest of the year.”
For his career, Rivera is batting .312 with 746 HR and 440 SB. He has won 3 Silk awards.
