602

It's not like there was any doubt about it before, but now it's indisputable: Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer ever.  Again, it's not like this is a shocking proclamation to anybody, but he's now the all-time leader in saves, which makes this a good time to reaffirm how great Mo actually is.

At work today, right after he got the record 602nd save, my boss and I started having a conversation about whether or not anybody will ever catch him.  The save is still a relatively new stat (it only dates back to 1969), so I have no idea.  Is it possible someone else will come along and save 700 games?  I really don't know.  But I highly doubt it.  Think about all the variables that have had to come into play here.  For starters, Rivera's 41 years old.  He's been his team's primary closer for 15 seasons, which means he became the Yankees' full-time closer since he was 26.  Being that good and able to maintain it for that long are two key factors in Rivera's brilliance.  But let's not forget the other thing that's going to make him so hard to catch.  You've got to play on a team good enough to have 600 save opportunities.  Yes, even the worst teams win 65 games a year, but how many of those include save opportunities?  30?  35?  The Yankees have been consistently good, which obviously helped.

So, no, I don't envision somebody ever catching him.  Future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman, who's now second all-time with 601 career saves, was the face of the San Diego Padres for 15 seasons.  After the 2008 season, they decided he was too old to be their closer.  He went to Milwaukee and added a few saves in two years with the Brewers before retiring before this season.  Can you think of another closer with the longevity of Rivera and Hoffman?  That's one of the key factors if anyone is ever going to come anywhere near what the two of them have been able to do.

But Rivera trumps Hoffman in one other very obvious area, which is why it will be very hard for somebody to ever take away that "Greatest Closer Ever" label.  His career numbers in the postseason are staggering.  In 94 career postseason games, he's 8-1 with a 0.71 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 139.2 innings.  Oh yeah, he's also got 42 postseason saves to match the number on his back.  And the Yankees have won five World Series.  Without Rivera, that number would maybe be two.  (And the blown save in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series can easily be overlooked compared to the rest of the body of work.)  If the Atlanta Braves had Mariano Rivera, they would've won more than one World Series during the 1990s.

Major League Baseball retired the No. 42 for Jackie Robinson league-wide in 1997.  That's the year Mariano Rivera became the Yankees' closer.  Fifteen years later, Mo's the only guy left wearing the number.  It's only fitting.  Nobody's going to compare to either one of those baseball legends.  And no Yankee was ever going to wear No. 42 again anyway.  That number belongs on the wall in Monument Park, which is where it's headed when Mariano finally retires.

After he picked up save No. 601 on Saturday, the YES Network announcers were acting completely ridiculous.  Michael Kay and Kimberly Jones both actually asked the question, "Will it come tomorrow (Sunday) in Toronto or at Yankee Stadium?"  This qualifies as possibly the stupidest rhetorical question ever asked on the YES Network.  The fact that they lost 3-0 makes it a moot point, but if I'm Joe Girardi, there's no way Rivera pitches on Sunday, regardless of the score.  Not with an eight-game homestand coming up.

I've always been a person who wants records and milestones to be set at home.  When you do it on the road, fans of the opposing team will obviously appreciate the achievement, but there's something about doing it in front of your own fans, with the entire stadium cheering for you.  It was like that for Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit, and it was like that today.  There's an indescribable feeling every time the eighth inning ends, the bullpen door swings open and "Enter Sandman" begins blaring on the speakers.  This achievement is as much for Rivera as it is for Yankees fans.  Jeter's 3,000th and Rivera setting the all-time saves record.  Both at the Stadium in the same year.  Wow!  It took a little while, but I think the mystique and aura have officially found their way across the street.

Mariano Rivera has never been a stats guy.  He just wants the Yankees to win.  That's what's so cool about this record.  He's saved a Yankees win 602 times.  And don't forget about those 42 playoff games.

Some critics consider the save an overrated stat.  In some respects, I agree.  When Francisco Rodriguez set the single-season record with 62 saves, it was because the Angels won all of their games 5-2 or 6-3.  But Mariano Rivera's greatness has never been questioned.  Nor should it be.  First-ballot Hall of Famer?  Absolutely.  Greatest closer of all-time?  Case closed.  There will never be another like him.  Exit light.  Enter night.  Take my hand.  Off to Never Never Land.