That being said, I'm extremely proud of Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera for getting his 500th save yesterday against subway rivals, the Mets (he also recorded his first career RBI). I've always been a hater against the Yankees as a team, but the two Yanks I've always admired and liked are Derek Jeter and Rivera. Despite former Padre and current Brewer Trevor Hoffman being the all-time leader in saves (he's 71 ahead of Mariano at the moment), Rivera is without a doubt the greatest relief pitcher in the history of the game.Think about his accomplishments: he's won the AL Relief Man of the Year award four times, been a nine-time All-Star, won four World Series championships (he was the MVP of the 1999 Series), won the ALCS MVP award in 2003, won the Babe Ruth Award in 1999, won the Thurman Munson Award in 2003, and has the lowest career WHIP and ERA of any pitcher since 1920 (the beginning of the live-ball era). He's also the greatest pitcher in postseason history, recording the most saves (34), most consecutive scoreless innings pitched (34.3), lowest ERA (0.77), most consecutive saves converted (23), and most appearances (76); he's also allowed no earned runs in 17 postseason series.
I think I've stated his case enough. Mariano, here's to your Hall of Fame induction, whenever that may be.
1 comments:
I hate the Yankees too, but I Rivera gets nothing but respect from me. He is still doing his thing all of these years later...lights out closing.
One thing I learned and appreciate about the man is that he will always give someone an autograph as long as they come up and ask him politely. Not many high profile players do that.
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