According to Rivera bio, he, himself, was a failed starter.
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After being called up to the major leagues on May 16, 1995,[29] Rivera made his debut for the New York Yankees on May 23 against the California Angels.[4] Starting in place of injured pitcher Jimmy Key,[30] Rivera allowed five earned runs in 3 1⁄3 innings pitched in a 10–0 loss.[4] He struggled through his first four major league starts, posting a 10.20 ERA, and as a result, he was demoted to Columbus on June 11.[4] As a 25-year-old rookie just three years removed from major arm surgery, his spot on the team was not guaranteed. Management considered trading him to the Detroit Tigers for starter David Wells.[31] While recovering from a sore shoulder in the minor leagues, Rivera pitched a no-hit shutout in a rain-shortened five-inning start.[32] Reports from the game indicated that his pitches had reached 95–96 mph (153–154 km/h), about 6 mph (9.7 km/h) faster than his previous average velocity; Rivera attributes his inexplicable improvement to God. Yankees general manager Gene Michael was skeptical of the reports until verifying that Columbus' radar gun was not faulty and that another team's scout had taken the same measurements. Afterwards, he ended any trade negotiations involving Rivera.[27] On July 4, in his first start back in the major leagues, Rivera pitched eight scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox, allowing just two hits while striking out 11 batters.[33] In five subsequent starts, he was unable to match his success from that game.[33] After a brief demotion to Columbus in August, Rivera made one last start in the major leagues in September before he was moved to the Yankees' bullpen.[27] Overall, he finished his first major league season with a 5–3 record and a 5.51 ERA in ten starts and nine relief outings.[34] His performance in the 1995 American League Division Series, in which he pitched 5 1⁄3 scoreless innings of relief, convinced Yankees management to keep him and convert him to a relief pitcher the following season.[35]
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PS - I will stop the argument now and concede that Rivera will be a walk in into the HOF. I am going to take a deep breath and relax as this HOF discussion drives me crazy every year as we try to parse out who did and didn't do steroids and where our line of morality stops and starts.