Cooperstown Crier - Your Source for Hometown News - Cooperstown, Baseball Hall of Fame

Local Sports

July 3, 2009

Rivera adds to Hall credentials

By SAMANTHA CARR

Mariano Rivera has already established himself as one of the greatest relief pitchers in the history of baseball. He further solidified that position on Sunday when he notched his 500th save, a mark hit by only one other player.

Rivera earned the save by getting the last out of the eighth inning and pitching a scoreless ninth to hold the Mets back in a 4-2 win for the Yankees. Rivera was the fifth pitcher in a game started by Chien-Ming Wang.

“I’m proud of what I have done with the team,” Rivera told MLB.com. “I’m proud of my teammates. I’m proud of everything we have accomplished. Every time I have the chance to wear this uniform, I’m proud.”

He also had his first career RBI in his third career regular-season plate appearance. He earned a seven- pitch bases-loaded walk from Mets’ closer Francisco Rodriguez, who owns the single-season saves record. “The RBI is the best,” Rivera said. “It was my first RBI. It was my 500th save.”

Rivera is already second on the all-time saves list behind fellow active closer Trevor Hoffman (571). Hoffman reached his 500th save on June 6, 2007, and he donated his Padres jersey, cap, spikes, glove and the final out ball to the Hall of Fame.

Rivera became the Yankees closer in 1997 and remains at the top of the active ERA list with 2.308.

He has won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award four times and has been named to the All-Star Game in nine seasons. Rivera is a noted postseason performer, holding the alltime record for saves and ERA.

He has won four World Series championships with the Yankees and was named the World Series MVP in 1999 and the ALCS MVP in 2003.

He has led the Major Leagues in saves three times, and his strikeout-towalk ratio is 3.931, good for fourth best all-time. He has 971 strikeouts in 880 appearances and a .575 winning percentage. He has finished in the top five for Cy Young Award voting five times.

Rivera and teammate Andy Pettitte have already donated a ball to the Hall of Fame from their 59th career win-save earlier this season.

Rivera has a number of artifacts in Cooperstown, including the spikes from the 1999 World Series, his cap from the 2000 World Series and from his 400th save in 2006 and his jersey from the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

Samantha Carr is media relations coordinator for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

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