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Mariano Rivera

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Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969 in Panama City, Panama), nicknamed Mo (and less frequently, "Sandman"), is a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees.  Rivera is the all-time major league postseason leader in saves and ERA. He has the fourth most regular season career saves in major league history, and has won 4 World Series titles with the Yankees. Many people in the baseball world refer to him as the greatest postseason pitcher of all time http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04286/394272.stm http://www.insidebayarea.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=2427782, as well as one of the greatest closers in baseball history. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/yankees/2005-10-03-bonus-rivera_x.htm http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/tom_verducci/06/01/rivera.yankees/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A44377-2004Feb15





Contents





Career



Early career

His rookie year in the Major Leagues was 1995 as a starter, a year in which he posted a 5-3 record in 10 starts. He found mixed success in the majors and consequently, split time between the Yankees and Triple A. At the time, Rivera's pitches were not all that formidable, with his fastball topping out at 88-90 MPH. Already 25 years old and 3 years removed from Tommy John surgery, the Yankees considered trading Rivera to the Detroit Tigers for David Wells. However, a surprise improvement prompted a change of heart. In one minor league start, Rivera began throwing 95-96 MPH out of nowhere, prompting the scouts in attendance to believe their radar guns were malfunctioning. http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/sports/features/1337/ Rivera's rapid improvement, as well as his success in the 1995 American League Division Series convinced Yankees' management to keep him and move him into the bullpen.



Setup man

In 1996, he served primarily as a set-up man for the closer John Wetteland.  During that season, the Yankees had a 70-3 record when leading after the 6th inning. Rivera typically would pitch the 7th and 8th innings, before Wetteland pitched in the 9th. Their effectiveness essentially shortened baseball games to 6 innings. Rivera played an important role that year in the Yankees winning their first World Series since 1978. Setting a Yankee record for strikeouts by a reliever in a season (130), he came in third for the Cy Young Award voting, behind twenty-game winners Pat Hentgen and teammate Andy Pettitte, respectively.  This remains a unique show of respect for a set-up man; only two other middle relievers (Keith Foulke and Francisco Rodriguez) have ever received so much as a single third-place vote.



Closer

When Wetteland left the team following that season, Rivera became the Yankees' closer. It would not be a seamless transition, as he blew 3 of his first 5 save opportunities, but he rebounded to have a strong year. The 1997 season would not end well, however, as Rivera, two outs from advancing to the American League Championship Series, blew a save in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians by giving up a home run to Sandy Alomar, Jr that tied the game. The Yankees lost that and the next game and were eliminated from the playoffs. It would turn out to be one of the few times anyone got the best of Rivera in the postseason.


In the following seasons, Rivera became one of the league's best closers. In his tenure with the Yankees, he has been one of the most consistent, dominating, and dependable relief pitchers in the Major Leagues. As a reliever, Rivera has always finished the regular season with a sub-3.00 ERA. Only once in his career has he failed to pitch at least 60 innings in a season. Rivera still remains a dominant pitcher, even at age 36, far surpassing the ordinary lifetime of a closer.


Rivera has been so consistent for the Yankees over a decade of appearances that many fans remember his rare missteps more clearly than his successes.  Rivera's most infamous moment came in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. Three outs from winning a fourth consecutive World Series title, Rivera blew the save in the bottom of the 9th inning and lost the game when Luis Gonzalez blooped a 1-out, bases-loaded single to score the winning run.


Despite this rare failure, Rivera is widely considered the best pitcher in the history of posteason baseball. Rivera's postseason dominance played a critical role in the Yankees' four championships in the late 1990s. His lifetime postseason ERA of 0.81 is the Major League record. From 1998 to 2001, Rivera converted 23 consecutive postseason saves and pitched 34 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason, both Major League records. Rivera's 34 postseason saves are more than twice that of the next person, Dennis Eckersley.  The pitchers who rank second through fourth for most postseason saves (Eckersley, Jason Isringhausen, and Robb Nen) have combined for 37 career saves. Rivera has very often been used to record 2-inning saves in the postseason, recording 12 of this variety.

In the 1999 World Series, Rivera recorded 2 saves and a win, allowing no runs, as the Yankees swept the Atlanta Braves. This performance earned him the World Series MVP honor.  In 2003, Rivera would deliver one of his best postseason performances ever, pitching 3 shutout innings in an 11-inning Game 7 victory over the rival Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. His performance won him the game, and the ALCS MVP Award.



2003

In 2003, Rivera continued to build his legacy.  After appearing in 64 regular season games, and posting 40 saves and a 1.66 ERA, Rivera once again saved his best pitching for the postseason.


In the postseason, Rivera threw 16.2 innings and allowed only one run, which dropped his lifetime postseason ERA to 0.75.


Against the Minnesota Twins, Rivera notched a pair of perfect two-inning saves in the ALDS. In the ALCS against the wild-card Red Sox, he set down six straight Boston batters to protect the Yankees’ 4-3 lead in the Game 3 frenzy at Fenway Park. After the game, Roger Clemens marveled at his apparent serenity, "You take your worst... you take your two favorite superheroes, and I’ll put Mo up against both of them. He could take on anyone."


Game 5 of the ALCS was another 2-inning save. Boston touched him for a run in the 8th when Todd Walker tripled and scored on a ground out. Game 7, of course, was perhaps the greatest outing of his career. With the game tied at 5 and the pennant on the line, Rivera shut out Boston’s lineup for three innings, the first time he had pitched that many innings in a game since 1995. Though Aaron Boone’s homer ended the game, it was Mariano whom the Yankees lifted onto their shoulders, and was named the ALCS MVP. The most endearing image of Rivera from this game was his celebration following Boone's home run, running out to the mound and collapsing in joy.



2004

Prior to the season, with a year left on his contract, Rivera signed a 2 year contract extension, guaranteeing him staying in the Bronx through 2006. The deal also has an option of third year (for 2007) if Rivera finishes enough games.


2004 was another stellar year for Rivera.  He won his third Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award, given to the best reliever in baseball.  He posted a career best 53 saves, and a stellar 1.94 ERA.  He helped the Yankees to their 7th straight American League East championship.  In the ALDS, he appeared in 4 games in the ALDS and allowed no runs, despite blowing a save. The Yankees defeated the Twins in four games.


However, joy turned to mourning when Rivera, following the series' completion, learned that two of his relatives in Panama had been killed at his home when electrofied guard wire fell into the pool. Rivera's status for the upcoming ALCS was immediately in doubt. However, Rivera, on the same day as the funeral in Panama, flew back to New York, arriving in the 5th inning to a standing ovation. Having suffered through a very emotional day, Rivera was still able to record a much-needed save later that night.  But Rivera blew saves in Games 4 and 5, allowing the Red Sox to avoid elimination.


The first blown save came in Game 4. With the Yankees leading the series 3-0, they had a 4-3 lead in the 9th inning. Rivera walked Kevin Millar, and then Dave Roberts pinch ran and stole second base. Roberts scored on a single by Bill Mueller to tie the score.  Rivera avoided further damage in the 9th and the game went into extra innings.  The Red Sox eventually won it in the 12th inning with a two-run home run by David Ortiz off of Paul Quantrill. 


The second came the following night. With the Yankees up 4-2 at the start of the 8th inning, Tom Gordon gave up a home run to David Ortiz to cut the lead to one. Gordon then walked Kevin Millar, and gave up a single to Trot Nixon which sent Dave Roberts (who pinch ran for Millar) to third base. Rivera then came in, with no outs and men on first and third, and gave up a sacrifice fly to Jason Varitek to tie the score.  Just like the night before, this game would go into extra innings as well.  The Yankees would eventually lose the game in the 14th inning when Ortiz singled off Esteban Loaiza to score Johnny Damon with the winning run.


The Red Sox went on to win games 6 and 7 en route to their first World Series title since 1918.



2005

Rivera's year started out on a low note, as he blew his first 2 saves of the season against the Red Sox, prompting some people in the baseball world to question whether Rivera was a dominant pitcher anymore. Rivera was subsequently cheered by Red Sox fans during pre-game introductions at Fenway Park the following week as recognition for his four consecutive blown saves against Boston (dating back to the previous postseason).  Rivera took the ovation with a good sense of humor and tipped his cap to the crowd.


He would end up having the last laugh, as 2005 proved to be the greatest year of his already illustrious career. His performance over the season helped the Yankees win an 8th consecutive AL East title. He converted 31 consecutive save opportunities, a career record that spanned four months. He had 43 saves in 47 opportunities, a 1.38 ERA (a career low), a 0.87 WHIP (a career low), an batting average against of .177 (the 2nd best mark of his career), an OPS against of .465 (a career low), a strikeout-to-walk of 4.44, and a K/9 of 9.19 (second best mark of his career as a closer, the highest in 2001). He finished second in the race for the Cy Young Award to Bartolo Colon and ninth in the Most Valuable Player voting in the American League. He also notched the save in the 2005 All-Star Game.



The cutter

Rivera's signature pitch is his cut fastball, or cutter, which he mixes with both a four-seam and two-seam fastball.  The cutter has drawn comparison to a mid-90s breaking ball that breaks down and in to a left-handed batter and down and away to a right-hander. 


Rivera's cutter is regarded as one of the most feared pitches in baseball history http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/stark_jayson/1382666.html, a 95 mile-per-hour fastball that breaks at the last second. Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves once compared Rivera's cutter to a "buzzsaw" http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060308/news_lz1s8galry.html, due to its tendency of shattering the bats of opposing left-handed hitters.  Jim Thome of the Chicago White Sox called the cutter "the single best pitch ever in the game"http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/17/sports/baseball/17curry.html.


Despite the fact that batters know the cutter is coming, they have not yet been able to consistently hit it, which makes Rivera's dominance that much more impressive. Rivera usually starts a count off with the cutter and usually finishes a batter off by elevating the four-seam fastball, or by backdooring (pitching on the outside corner of the plate) the cutter for a called strike three.


Before the 2001 World Series, Rivera told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Bergen Record that he discovered the cutter by accident playing catch with Ramiro Mendoza. Two years earlier, he explained to Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, "I didn’t do anything. It was natural." He started using it in games, and the rest was history. "It was just from God."



Legacy

In a position known for its volatility and inconsistency, Rivera has held down the role of closer remarkably. He has been a model of consistency, performing well in the role in the 10 years he has maintained it. Many also praise Rivera for his modesty, generosity, and kindness, characteristics that are hard to find in superstar athletes. Rivera has always been accountable for his actions, always accepting the fault when pitching poorly. Most sports writers and baseball experts anticipate Rivera will be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, once he retires.


In Chris Russo's book, "The Mad Dog Hall of Fame : The Ultimate Top-Ten Rankings of the Best in Sports", Rivera was named one of the ten greatest baseball players of all time.



Awards and honors

Rivera has won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award four times, in 1999, 2001, 2004,and 2005. In honor of the men and women who served New York City during the 9/11 attacks, he donated his 2001 trophy to the New York City Fire Department. It is on permanent display at the FDNY's Brooklyn headquarters. He also won the World Series MVP Award in 1999, as well as the 2003 ALCS MVP award. Rivera has also won MLB.com's Closer of the Year Award in 2004 and 2005, and the DHL Delivery Man of the Year Award in 2005.



Accomplishments

Some of Rivera's accomplishments include:

*Rivera falls behind John Franco for the given record (as well as Trevor Hoffman).  Franco has not retired and is a free agent, so his status as an "active" pitcher is questionable; for the purposes of these statistics, Franco is not considered to be active.



Trivia







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References








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