Final answer:
The damage was likely caused by a baseball bat, specifically due to the impact of Mariano Rivera's signature cutter pitch, which applies Newton's third law of motion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The weapon that was likely used to cause the damage described, considering the context of Mariano Rivera's retirement and the unique chair made of broken bats presented by the Minnesota Twins, is the baseball bat. Rivera's signature cutter pitch was notorious for breaking bats due to the way the ball would strike the bat, often leading to shattered hardwood. This example beautifully illustrates Newton's third law of motion, which states that whenever one body exerts a force on another, the first body experiences a force of equal magnitude and in the opposite direction. In the context of Rivera's cutter pitch, it is the force of the thrown baseball impacting the bat that can cause such damage, just as the bat exerts force on the ball, which analysts measure in terms of 'exit velocity'.
Understanding the forces at play in baseball isn't just about the power of the hitter; it's also about the interaction between the ball and the bat. This interaction is a real-world demonstration of physics in action, confirming experiences like stubbing a toe or pushing off from the floor during a jump, where two forces are applied in opposite directions but are equal in strength.