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New York Airport Officially Names Gate 42 After Mariano Rivera

By Charles Nason

Delta Air Lines Dedicated Gate 42 At JFK Airport And 757 Aircraft To Mariano Rivera Before Hall Of
Delta Air Lines Dedicated Gate 42 At JFK Airport And 757 Aircraft To Mariano Rivera Before Hall Of / Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

In less than a week, Yankees' legend Mariano Rivera will head to Cooperstown to be inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. Earlier on Tuesday, Rivera was honored in a slightly different way.

For his impact on the city of New York, Rivera was honored by JFK Airport. Courtesy of JFK and Delta Airlines, Gate 42 at the airport will now be named the Mariano Rivera Gate.

This week will be an unforgettable one for Rivera. He joins an absolutely legendary Hall of Fame class including Lee Smith, Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez, Harold Baines and, of course, the late Roy Halladay. He'll also go down as the only player to ever be unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame.

With his name set to be etched alongside the legends of baseball this weekend, the airport honor is just the beginning.

There will never come a day when the name Mariano Rivera is not synonymous with the city of New York.

With his name already praised around the city and especially within the Yankees organization, now he'll greet newcomers and passer-by's as they enter the greatest city on Earth.