When you’ve allowed less runs in the postseason (11) than people who have walked on the moon (12), you’re probably one of the best athletes to ever play the game of baseball. New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera dropped the mic on Tuesday when he officially became the first player in MLB history to record 100% of the Hall of Fame inductee votes.
The Sandman:
Rivera finished his career as a professional with an astounding 652 saves, earning the accolade for the most saves of all-time. He appeared in the All-Star game 13 times in 19 seasons to name himself the best closer the game has ever seen, and it’s not even close.
With a career 2.21 ERA and 2.76 FIP, we can say that he might have come from the moon for all we know. Maybe he hitched a ride with one of the 12 humans to step foot on the lonely sphere. An other-worldly talent that has ingrained himself in the history books forever.
A helping hand:
Aside from the personal accomplishments, Rivera helped the Yankees win not one, two, three, or four Championships, but FIVE. He was a postseason maestro that tossed his best ball when the pressure was on. Finding a player immune to the spotlight is tough, and he surely took his opportunities when they came knocking on his door.
In postseason games, Mariano pitched 141 innings, recording 110 strikeouts and allowing 86 hits, 21 walks and 11 runs. Rivera finished with a total of 42 postseason saves — the next person in line, Brad Lidge, only has 18. That should indicate the dominance Rivera imposed throughout his illustrious career.
To finish off his story, he was voted to the Hall of Fame unanimously, the first to ever achieve such a feat, and to be quite frank, he was always the man for the job.