This past Monday, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera broke the all-time record for saves with 602. Some baseball pundits claim that this statistic, the number that shows the standard closer’s effectiveness, now solidifies Rivera as the greatest closer in baseball history.
But, as any fair-minded baseball fan could have told you prior to Monday, we already knew that.
Although Yankee fans have enjoyed Rivera’s success for the better part of 16 years, other fans will, on behalf of their favorite teams, stress the dreadful moment when he steps onto the mound, virtually stifling any chance the opposing team may have to come back from behind in the ninth inning.
Rivera’s prowess is unique in all sports, not just baseball. Although he didn’t solely invent his position, he has become — and will eternally be idolized — as the game’s most dominant closer, one that all teams wish they could have had.
When discussing the best hitter of all time, for instance, there is lively debate. Yankee fans would perhaps claim that Babe Ruth’s power numbers in the dead-ball era proves he was so high above the rest. Red Sox fans would surely argue that Ted Williams’ ability to hit a ball located anywhere in the strike zone is unrivaled.
But when it comes to Rivera, there is no dispute. If Yankee fans and Red Sox fans are to agree on anything, it would be that Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer of all time. Period.
Now that he has recorded his record-breaking 602nd save, Rivera’s next step is, naturally, the Hall of Fame. Needless to say, baseball fans of all kinds eagerly await his admission into the hallowed grounds at Cooperstown.
If Rivera were to retire now at 41, the earliest he could be voted in would be when he is 46. But, to the delight of Yankee fans, such recognition may have to be delayed further; he has shown very little sign of aging. His body remains lean and he still has the velocity. His infamous cutter still bites and continues to saw the bats off hitters who anxiously step up to face him.
If there ever were to be a unanimous, first-ballot Hall of Famer, it would be Rivera. However, some voters in the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) will simply refuse to vote for a player on his first year of eligibility on the basis that no player should enjoy a blemish-free walk into Cooperstown. Yes, even the universally recognized “best-at-his-position-player-of-all-time” cannot, in several people’s view, receive such recognition.
In order to be voted in, a player must have played at least 10 years in the Majors and be on at least 75 percent of each Hall of Fame voters’ list of 10 chosen players. This will, without any legitimate dispute, apply to Rivera the first chance he gets. Members of the BBWAA know this, but that will not stop most from voting against him the first time around.
Even if he had retired short of the all-time saves record, Rivera would still be considered the best of all time. For baseball commentators to assert that save No. 602 cements such a ranking is, quite frankly, silly.
When this Yankee closer is inevitably admitted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, Yankee fans and baseball fans alike will not look at 602 or any number that comes after that. They will remember the five championships (so far) he has handed the Yankees, the dominance he sustained over his opponents and the universal reverence he has attained in the last 15 years.