Mariano Rivera: The Closer

Mariano Rivera: The Closer

[paypal_donation_button]Mariano Rivera: The Closer

Mariano Rivera calls Panama City, Panama his hometown, and during the early years of his baseball career he felt homesick as he wrote his family letters to check up on how they were doing. As he ventured deeper into his career everything would settle in nicely for who many baseball fans would call “Mo”, “Super Mariano” or “The Sandman”. Rivera would experience one of the best careers a baseball player could experience.

Rivera’s 19-year saga began in 1995 when he was assigned to be a setup relief pitcher for the New York Yankees. At the time he replaced Jimmy Key who was injured. Rivera would go 5-3 in his rookie season in Major League Baseball. In 1996 Rivera would pick up the pace considerably and complement John Wetteland, who was the closer for the Yankees at the time. Rivera went 8-3 with 5 saves and a 2.09 ERA. Rivera blew many batters away as he recorded 130 strikeouts. Rivera would win his first World Series Championship with the Yankees in 1996.

In 1997 Rivera would officially replace Wetteland as the closer, and he would embrace the challenge. Rivera went 6-4 with 43 saves and a 1.88 ERA. He recorded 1 save in the playoffs. 1998 was considered to be one of the best years in the history of the New York Yankees, and Rivera played a significant role on this team as he went 3-0 with 36 saves and a 1.91 ERA. He recorded 6 saves in the playoffs and would celebrate his 2nd World Series Championship with the Yankees.

In 1999 Rivera continued to dominate in the 9th inning of games as he went 4-3 with 45 saves and a 1.83 ERA. In the playoffs Rivera had 6 saves, and he would be named the 1999 World Series Most Valuable Player. In 2000 Rivera helped the Yankees complete their modern dynasty as he went 7-4 with 36 saves and a 2.85 ERA. Once again Rivera had 6 saves in the playoffs and celebrated his 4th World Series Championship with the Yankees.

2001 was a very solid year statistically for Rivera, though the Yankees, MLB and the United States went through a tough emotional time. Rivera had 50 saves and a 2.34 ERA, recording 83 strikeouts. In the playoffs Rivera had 5 saves, but the 2001 World Series would be the only time in his postseason career where he would blow a save and take a loss. This was made possible by a bloop single by Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Gonzalez that won Game 7 and the World Series for Arizona.

In 2002 Rivera had 28 saves and a 2.74 ERA. In the playoffs he recorded 1 save. In 2003 Rivera went 5-2 with 40 saves and a 1.66 ERA. In the playoffs he recorded 5 saves and he would be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series. However, the Yankees fell short of winning another World Series Championship as the Florida Marlins defeated them 4 games to 2.

In 2004 Rivera went 4-2 with 53 saves and a 1.94 ERA. In the playoffs he recorded 2 saves, but the Yankees would squander a 3-0 series lead to the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS. In 2005 Rivera went 7-4 with 43 saves and a 1.38 ERA, recording 80 strikeouts. In the playoffs Rivera recorded 2 saves. In 2006 Rivera went 5-5 with 34 saves and a 1.80 ERA. In 2007 Rivera had 30 saves and a 3.15 ERA. In 2008, which would be the final year of the original Yankee Stadium’s existence, Rivera went 6-5 with 39 saves and a 1.40 ERA, recording 77 strikeouts. 2006 and 2007 saw early postseason exits for the Yankees while they didn’t qualify for the playoffs in 2008.

In 2009 Mariano Rivera went 3-3 with 44 saves and a 1.76 ERA, recording 72 strikeouts. He had 5 saves in the playoffs and he would help the Yankees win their first World Series Championship in 9 years. Rivera would celebrate his 5th and final championship. In 2010 Rivera went 3-3 with 33 saves and a 1.80 ERA. In the playoffs he recorded 3 saves. In 2011 Rivera had 44 saves and a 1.91 ERA.

Rivera started off strong in 2012 as he went 1-1 with 5 saves and a 2.16 ERA. However, his regular season would be cut short due to a freak accident. While fielding balls in batting practice at Kaufman Stadium before a game against the Kansas City Royals, Rivera tore his ACL joint in the left field warning track. During the following offseason Rivera announced that 2013 would be his final year playing baseball.

Mariano Rivera successfully rehabilitated his knee to prepare for the 2013 regular season, and he went out the way that Yankees fans and baseball fans in general knew him to be, which was that of a dominant force on the pitcher’s mound. Rivera went 6-2 with 44 saves and a 2.11 ERA. Rivera would be selected as the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Most Valuable Player at Citi Field in Queens, New York.

Mariano Rivera was a 13-time All-Star in 1997, 1999 through 2002, 2004 through 2006, 2008 through 2011 and 2013. Along with being a 5-time World Series Champion Rivera was also a 5-time Rolaids Relief Man of the Year in 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2009, and a 3-time Delivery Man of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2009. Due to his successful rehabilitation Rivera would win the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2013.

Mariano Rivera proved to be the best closer in recent baseball history and is arguably the best closer of all-time. Rivera led all of MLB in saves in 1999, 2001 and 2004. One of the main reasons why Rivera remained consistently dominant throughout his 19-year career was the cut fastball, or cutter, that he threw. Rivera’s cutter had so much bite to it that it more often than not cut right through bats. In fact the Minnesota Twins presented Rivera a rocking chair mostly made out of the bats that he broke with his cutter in 2013.

Mariano Rivera was the last player in MLB history to wear the #42 jersey throughout the regular season. The #42 was retired throughout all of MLB in honor of Jackie Robinson on April 15, 1997, but Rivera was allowed to keep his #42 jersey as part of a grandfather clause. The Yankees have retired the #42 to honor both Robinson and Rivera.

Rivera’s career stats will read that he went 82-60 with a 2.21 ERA and 1,173 strikeouts. Rivera faced 5,103 batters in his career, pitched 1,283.2 innings and finished 952 games as the Yankees closer. His 652 saves currently stand as the most saves recorded in baseball history. According to many baseball fans and historians Mariano Rivera is considered to be a prime definition of the role of the closer.