President Trump’s embarrassing gaffe at baseball legend’s ceremony

Panama product Rivera, who became a US citizen this week, was honoured in a formal medal presentation with the nation’s highest civilian honour.

Unfortunately his big day has been overshadowed by an embarrassing gaffe the POTUS spluttered his way through when giving his speech in the east room of the White House.

Rivera played with the Yankees his entire career, from 1995 to 2013, establishing himself as the greatest closer in Major League Baseball history and becoming renowned for his performances in high-pressure situations, Fox News reports.

Rivera made a record 652 saves during the course of his career, and led the majors in saves three times — in 1999, 2001 and 2004.

He finished in the top five of American League Cy Young Award voting five times.

President Trump was trying to put all of the five-time World Series champion’s incredible achievements into perspective for the large crowd assembled when he hit a snag.

When trying to explain Rivera’s record 0.17 ERA average (the average runs he conceded per nine innings of pitching) during his first season with the Yankees’ minor league feeder team, the Gulf Coast Yankees, based in Florida, in 1990, poor Mr Trump got all muddled up with his maths.

The 0.17 ERA is beyond impressive if you can work out that it means Rivera averaged just one run being scored against him every six games.

It’s not quite as impressive as the way Mr Trump tried explaining it.

“A few months later in August 1990, Mariano threw his first no-hitter,” Trump said during his speech.

“That year he had an average ERA of point seventeen (0.17). So that doesn’t mean one, that means like, one seventeenth of one. That’s not a lot. How did you lose a game? Boy oh boy. In 52 innings he had 0.17 which is unheard of.”

Social media lit-up almost immediately at Mr Trump’s mathematical howler (0.17 is closer to one fifth of one).

It wasn't the only moment in the ceremony that’s creating headlines.

Trump and Rivera entered the White House east room while Metallica’s Enter Sandman was blasted through the speakers.

The song happens to be the one that Rivera walked out to during his career, despite the fact he has previously said he didn’t even choose the song.

The 49-year-old is just one of many athletes Trump has chosen to honour.

Tiger Woods was given the same honour in May and NBA great Jerry West received his Medal of Freedom last week.

Rivera has been active during the Trump administration, voicing support for the president — himself a New Yorker and a frequent visitor to Yankee Stadium — at a time when many superstar athletes have regularly expressed their dismay (or worse) with the White House.

Originally published as President Trump’s embarrassing gaffe at baseball legend’s ceremony