Mariano Rivera, the second Panamanian in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, returned to Panama on the weekend to make the honorary first pitch on Monday at the opening of the 61st edition of the Caribbean Series 2019 Copa Airlines

The first game date of the contest, which returns to Panama was after 59 years, was between Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Republic and the Cangrejeros de Santurce de Puerto Rico.

Rivera was scheduled to return to the mound at 6 pm for the opening pitch in the game between Charros de Jalisco of Mexico and the Cardinals of Lara of Venezuela.

Rivera will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, on July 21,

He  made history in January by becoming the first player to be unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame by the US  Association of Baseball Writers

The entire Caribbean series, will take place at the stadium named after Rod Carew, in honor of the first Panama Hall of Famer.

Carew is currently now 73 was elected in 1991.

“He represents us in an ideal way, that we can never forget no matter what I did," Rivera said of Carew,

The owner of five world series winner rings with the New York Yankees is Rivera 49 retired in 2013.

The final of the series will be played on  Sunday, February 10.