.221 for the Twins in , he was released during spring training of . Although Rivera was signed by the Kansas City Royals shortly after his release by Minnesota, he did not log much more playing time in the majors, adding only five games to his career total, all in . He was released the following spring. On to Japan His best professional season came in Japan with Kintetsu Buffaloes in and where he hit 37 home runs over the course of the two seasons, 31 of those in 1985. He was released by the team in 1986 due to a hamstring injury. Later career and retirement Rivera added another Puerto Rican League championship in the 1985–86 season. Also on that team were Bobby Bonilla, Wally Joyner, Tim Belcher, Paul O'Neill, Harold Reynolds, and Randy Ready. It was Rivera’s last season in Mayagüez. He finished his Puerto Rican baseball career with the Arecibo Wolves in 1989. Bombo Rivera played briefly for the St. Petersburg Pelicans of the Florida Senior Professional Baseball Association in . Today he lives in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico and works for a non-profit organization that offers sports clinics to disadvantaged children free of charge. He also stays close to Puerto Rican youth baseball by umpiring local games. Cultural references Rivera was the subject of a song in the late 1970s by Garrison Keillor named "The Ballad of Bombo Rivera." There is also a brief mention of Bombo Rivera in W. P. Kinsella's Shoeless Joe, the basis for the film Field of Dreams. Rivera also received hundreds of write-in votes in the 1979 University of Minnesota election for student council president, coming in second place. See also List of Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico References External links 1952 births Living people Caribbean Series managers Denver Bears players Ganaderos de Tabasco players Gulf Coast Expos players Jamestown Falcons players Kansas City Royals players Kintetsu Buffaloes players Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball right fielders Memphis Blues players Minnesota Twins players Montreal Expos players Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Omaha Royals players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Canada Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Japan Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Mexico Québec Carnavals players Rieleros de Aguascalientes players Saraperos de Saltillo players Sportspeople from Ponce, Puerto Rico Sultanes de Monterrey players West Palm Beach Expos