Mets Fans Thank Mariano Rivera for the Memories, Even the Ones that Sting Mariano Rivera with Mets fans and employees. He answered questions and showed his cutter grip using a borrowed ball. For the past 27 seasons as a Mets season-ticket holder, 76-year-old Gloria Feit has watched her team routinely overshadowed by the hated Yankees. It has not always been for Feit to be a Mets fan, especially because her husband is a Yankees fan. It was painful watching the 2000 World Series and seeing Mariano Rivera throw the final pitch that would break many Mets fans" hearts. Few players better represent the Yankees" dominance over their city rivals than Rivera, who has converted 20 of 22 save opportunities against the Mets. For many Mets fans, Rivera will always symbolize a period when the Yankees undoubtedly were the kings of New York. Yet when the opportunity came for Feit to be a part of a small gathering of Mets fans and employees to meet with Rivera as part of his farewell tour, Feit did not hesitate to accept. "He's one of the best," Feit said. I don't know how I'd feel if it were any other Yankee. He's probably the exception. Rivera met with 17 Mets season-ticket holders and employees for about 15 minutes in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at the entrance of the front gates at Citi Field before Monday's first Subway Series game. Behind Rivera was the large statue of Robinson's No. 42, a fitting setting for Rivera because he is the last active player allowed to wear No. "All they want to say is thank you," Rivera, who announced earlier this year that he would retire after this season, told reporters after the session. They were thanking me for doing my job, I guess. When you respect the game and do your job and represent the organization the way I have done it, then thank God. Those are the answers you're going to get or the respect or the remarks you're going to receive. Not that I'm better than anyone else, but that's what I'm getting. The group peppered Rivera with questions, but mostly, all wanted to express their gratitude for having been given the opportunity to meet with him. Rivera, as part of his farewell tour, has already visited with fans from the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals. But this was the first time Rivera had met with a fan base that knew him so well. Rivera has 37 career appearances (including four World Series appearances) against the Mets. His 91 percent save-conversion rate against them ranks third best among pitchers with 20 chances against the Mets. But the Mets have also had their successes against Rivera, who blew his most recent save chance against them on July 3, 2011. Rivera's 3.28 regular-season earned run average against the Mets is his second worst against any team; his E.R.A. against the Los Angeles Angels is 3.65. Yet the moment Mets fans will perhaps remember most is Mike Piazza's at-bat against Rivera in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series. The Mets, trailing by two runs with two outs, had a man in scoring position in the ninth inning when Piazza stepped to the plate at Shea Stadium. Piazza hit a fly ball that carried deep into center field but was caught by Bernie Williams to give the Yankees their third consecutive World Series victory. One attendee at Monday's gathering with Rivera asked whether he thought Piazza's ball might go over the fence when it left the bat. Rivera said no. "If he got the ball on the bat a little bit further up," Rivera answered. But it didn't happen. When asked whether he thought baseball was getting cleaned up after the steroid era, Rivera responded, "I feel the game is going in the right direction." He was also asked to demonstrate the grip for his famous cutter. Rivera didn't have a baseball, but one fan had one in his backpack and flipped it to Rivera, who showed the grip, which essentially was the same grip as a four-seam fastball. "If other guys throw it like this, it goes straight," Rivera said. But not when I throw it. One question during the session elicited an answer from Rivera that could be used to represent his entire career. One fan was curious about whether Rivera had a favorite player growing up. Rivera said that he did not because he had mostly played soccer as a boy. The fan wondered whether Rivera had played much baseball at all. "I did play baseball," Rivera told the group. But I didn't want to be like anybody else.