Sunday night, Mariano Rivera joined a very exclusive club when he became only the second closer in baseball history to lock down 500 saves. For me, it goes without saying how incredible Mariano Rivera is. I remember him back in 1995 when he made about 10 starts and how mediocre he was as a starter. A lot of that had to do with his lack of repertoire.
But give the Yankees credit – more specifically former manager Buck Showalter and former GM Gene Michael – for moving Mo to the bullpen. The Yankees would go on to lose the first-ever Division series in five games in Seattle, falling in the dramatic, decisive Game 5 when Ken Griffey Jr. came around to score the game-winner off Jack McDowell.
That image isn’t what resonates when I think of that series. Losing that series hurt, especially when you think back and consider the Yankees having a 2-0 series lead, but that series did more good than bad in the long run, because it gave birth to Mariano Rivera as we know him today.
Mo would become the perfect setup man to John Wetteland in 1996 and shortly there after, the greatest closer in history.
Bar none. Without question.
Congrats to Mo. And consider this: Mariano has pitched for over a decade in the playoffs, nailing down save after save. He has a lot more innings on that arm, and a lot more saves to his record.
And the best part is, the 39-year-old isn’t showing signs of slowing down. He may not be as dominant as he once was, but I’d still take Mariano over anyone with the game on the line – and that includes Trevor Hoffman, who has the record 571 saves.
“You can add up all the players that ever played the game, and Mo has been as consistent as anyone," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. “He's done it in the regular season, he’s done it in the postseason, he’s done it in Spring Training, he’s done it in the Minor Leagues. He’s done it everywhere he’s been.”
Jeter nailed that response down like Mo in the ninth!
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