With Trevor Hoffman announcing his retirement from baseball this week, Mariano Rivera stands ready to take possession of the only significant record for relief pitchers that he does not currently hold.
Hoffman, who ended his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, retired with 601 career saves.
Rivera, the New York Yankees relief ace since 1997, has 559 saves, only 42 behind Hoffman.
The number 42 is particularly significant for Rivera. He is the only player in the major leagues still wearing No. 42.
Jackie Robinson was baseball’s most famous No. 42. Major League Baseball officially retired the number on April 15, 1997 — the 50th anniversary of Robinson becoming the majors’ first black player with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Players who already wore No. 42 during the 1997 season were allowed to keep the number until they retired. Rivera is the only such player left.
Rivera has worn No. 42 with such distinction that he, like Robinson, will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer someday.
No relief pitcher in the history of baseball has been better than Rivera. Here’s a point-by-point comparison between Rivera and Hoffman:
Age:
Rivera: 41
Hoffman: 43
Major League Baseball seasons:
Rivera: 16
Hoffman: 18
Regular season saves:
Rivera: 559
Hoffman: 601
Regular season games:
Rivera: 978
Hoffman: 1035
Regular season ERA:
Rivera: 2.23
Hoffman: 2.87
All-Star appearances:
Rivera: 8
Hoffman: 7
Postseason saves:
Rivera: 42
Hoffman: 4
Postseason games:
Rivera: 94
Hoffman: 12
Postseason ERA:
Rivera: 0.71
Hoffman: 3.46
World Series championships:
Rivera: 5
Hoffman: 0
As the numbers clearly show, Rivera has been far superior to Hoffman in postseason games, when the stakes are highest and the pressure and media scrutiny are the greatest.
Only once did Rivera and Hoffman go head-to-head in the postseason. In the 1998 World Series, Rivera’s Yankees swept Hoffman’s San Diego Padres. Hoffman went 0-1 with one blown save and a 9.00 ERA while Rivera was perfect, saving all three games in which he appeared without allowing a run.
And Rivera is equally impressive off the field.
Growing up the son of a fisherman in La Chorrera, Panama, Rivera learned at an early age the value of hard work, religious faith and giving back to others.
Yet he remains humble, hard-working and altruistic despite the phenomenal success he has enjoyed as a Yankees reliever since 1995.
(When the Yankees won the 1996 World Series, Rivera excelled as John Wetteland’s set-up man. Rivera became the closer a year later.)
Married and the father of three sons, Rivera has helped finance the construction of an elementary school, a church and computer centers in his native country.
This winter, Rivera has delivered Christmas gifts to children in Bronx, NY, where the Yankees play their home games, and Panama. He does this without seeking publicity.
But his many contributions on the mound have been impossible to conceal.
Rivera dominates hitters with a devastating fastball that seems to grow teeth and bore in on hitters, often turning their bats into firewood. The fastball, along with his mental toughness and resilience, has set Rivera apart.
"I think the key to be successful in the closer role is to learn how to bounce back after the blown save or the losing circumstance," Rivera says. "Learn to come back from that and put that behind you."
Rivera overcame adversity in his first season as the Yankees’ relief ace. With the Yankees just four outs from winning the 1997 American League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians, Rivera gave up a game-tying home run to Sandy Alomar Jr. Cleveland went on to win the game and the series.
Rather than be haunted by that failure, Rivera came back stronger. He helped the Yankees win the next three World Series — and did not allow an earned run in any of his 18 postseason appearances in 1998 and ’99.
Consistency on the field and off has been a major reason for Rivera’s success. He doesn’t just kill time in the bullpen and wait to be called upon in the late innings. He remains a student of the game.
"Watch the game, pay attention to the hitters and once I do that I have some kind of idea on how to attack them," he says.
Yankees fans have come to expect satisfaction whenever Rivera emerges from the bullpen at Yankee Stadium to the tune of Metallica’s "Enter Sandman." And Rivera rarely disappoints.
Rivera, who recently signed a two-year contract worth $15 million a season, has averaged 35 saves a year during his career. That means sometime during the 2012 season, he should surpass Hoffman and become baseball’s all-time leader in saves.
Rivera is already baseball’s greatest relief pitcher ever. But after he breaks Hoffman’s record, there won’t be any doubt.
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