ANOTHER day, another milestone for the Yankees. That’s the way it is around the pinstripes.
The Mets are just trying to survive with all their injuries. They are a shell of themselves.
The Yankees are trying to get their season on a roll, knowing they are in a most difficult division. There is no time to waste.
In their 9-1 stomping of the Mets on Friday night at Citi Field, Alex Rodriguez hit his 564th home run to push ahead of Reggie Jackson into 11th place on the all-time list.
With his next save, Mariano Rivera will hit 500, a most magical number. Trevor Hoffman is the only reliever to achieve that 500 number. He is the all-time saves leader with 571, and the Brewers closer continues to add to his total.
There will never be another Mariano Rivera. In so many ways he is the heart and soul of the Yankees. So much has been said about Rivera, but these numbers really tell the story about his place in baseball history.
Just take some time to digest by numbers some of Rivera’s accomplishments. Start with this: Francisco Rodriguez sits 271 saves behind Rivera. K-Rod would need 54 saves a season for the next five years just to catch up to where Rivera is on this day.
Billy Wagner, who may never pitch again in the majors, is closest “active” player behind Rivera with 385 saves. If Wagner does come back and is healthy enough to find a team that will use him as a closer after his Mets contract comes to a close, he will need 114 saves to get to where Rivera is now.
That is stunning.
Rivera wasn’t needed in the Yankees’ 5-0 victory last night, but if he gets a save in tonight’s Subway Series finale at Citi Field, this will mark the 33rd ballpark that he has gotten a save in during his career. Rivera got his first against the Angels on May 17, 1996, at Yankee Stadium. His 100th came against the Marlins in Florida three years later on June 11. He’s been rolling ever since.
Rivera’s cutter is one of the greatest pitches of all time. He has shattered hundreds of bats during his career. The conventional save of one inning has been Rivera’s calling card, 358 saves of three outs. But also consider that Rivera has totaled 109 saves of more than three outs.
That’s not Goose Gossage material, but that is substantial. Consider, alone those 109 lengthy saves would put him 105th on the all-time saves list.
June has been Rivera’s most effective month. He has 100 saves in June. He owns 75 saves on two consecutive days. Twenty-four times during his career Rivera has collected saves in three consecutive team games. Twice in his career he has had saves on four consecutive days, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Five times during his career, Rivera has posted two saves in the same day. He’s been successful at home or on the road, 239 saves coming at home and 260 on the road.
No matter how you add it all up, Rivera has been Mr. Consistent for the Yankees. There is something comforting about his presence, whether on the field or in the clubhouse.
Rodriguez considers Rivera his closest friend on the Yankees. Mo is a pillar of strength in the clubhouse.
Much was made through the years about Andy Pettitte’s friendship with Roger Clemens, but Rivera is Pettitte’s best baseball friend. Rivera has saved 59 of the lefty’s games, the all-time win/save combo in baseball history, two ahead of Bob Welch and Dennis Eckersley.
Then there is the postseason. Mariano owns 34 postseason saves. That’s 19 more than anyone else in major league history. “He’s the best,” Pettitte has said on more than one occasion, a comment echoed by so many Yankees players and management types.
The next save will be No. 500. Expect Rivera to accomplish the feat in his usual efficient and classy style. And don’t be shocked if he makes it to 600 saves some day.