Facing Mariano Rivera
Page 7
6/2 Pop out
9/4 Single (1 RBI)
2000 7/7 Foul out
Postseason 10/21 Fly out
10/25 Pop out
2004 6/19 Strikeout (Swinging)
Mo Respect
Ty Wigginton
The versatile journeyman infielder faced Rivera 12 times. He is 0-for-8 with 3 strikeouts, 1 sacrifice fly, and has been hit by a pitch three times.
Ty Wigginton
Year Date Result
2003 6/28 Strikeout (Looking)
2006 4/26 Strikeout (Swinging)
4/26 Sacrifice fly (1 RBI)
9/22 Hit by pitch
2007 7/14 Ground out
7/21 Hit by pitch
2009 4/9 Line out
5/20 Ground out
2010 6/1 Ground out
6/3 Hit by pitch
9/19 Foul out
2011 6/26 Strikeout (Swinging)
You hear about the cutter and that’s his pitch, but when you’re in his division, when he’s going to see you in six series a year, he will mix in a sinker that catches you off guard.
Every player has an off year. Well, every player except Mariano. Just think of the consistency he’s had in a job that doesn’t usually have a long shelf life. He hasn’t just been good. He has been dominant.
Tony Womack
Infield and Outfield
Playing Career
Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds from 1993 to 2006
Career Statistics
1,303 games, 1,353 hits, 36 home runs, 368 runs batted in, .273 batting average, .317 on-base percentage, .356 slugging percentage
Tony Womack facing Mariano Rivera (regular season)
No at-bats
Mo Cred
Womack hit a game-tying one-out double against Rivera in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game Seven of the 2001 World Series.
Tony Womack
Year Date Result
2011 (Postseason) 11/1 Ground out
11/4 Double (1 RBI)
IF YOU LOOK at the videotape after my double, he started blinking his eyes on the mound. You can see clearly that he’s blinking quite a bit. He looks fully aware of what was going on. He was put in an unfamiliar situation. That’s the first time you got the feeling he was thinking: “Oh man, I’ve never been in this situation before.”*
It’s a great accomplishment for me, especially against someone like Mariano, who people say is the best closer in the game. The 2-2 count didn’t bother me; I was still looking to hit the ball out in front of the plate, because with his cutter, the deeper it gets, the harder it is to hit. If he throws a borderline strike you’ve got to fight it off. Two strikes didn’t change my approach. I still stuck to the game plan. It was a little easier to stick to the game plan against him because you knew he was throwing the cutter. It’s not like facing somebody else who throws a curveball and a change-up. His cutter is very hard to hit but I still stuck with the plan because that’s all that he was throwing.
I treated Mariano just like any other big league pitcher. It was his good stuff versus my good stuff. That’s the way I approached it. See the ball and hit the ball. It wasn’t a guessing game. We all knew he had one pitch—a hard cutter that breaks late. I had a game plan to get the bat head out in front, square it up, and drive the ball.
I never changed bats, never changed my batting stance, or moved closer or farther away from the plate against Mariano. Nothing changed. Once you start thinking that way and changing your approach, you get beat. You give the pitcher more credit than he deserves. I never gave the pitcher credit. My job was to get on base. If I had to change because of one pitch a guy throws than I’m giving him the edge. I wanted to stay firm, stand my ground, and take the challenge of his best against my best.
To be remembered for coming through in the clutch, that’s great. But fans don’t see us play day in and day out. They never see that I averaged 148 games a year. They don’t see one year I had 700 at-bats. The average fan doesn’t see that. They remember the big moments, the things they see on television to remind them. To be remembered for one hit, that’s great, I appreciate it, I’m thankful, and I’m glad I came through. Of all the great players on that Diamondbacks team, would you think it would be me to get a big hit? No, but it was me. If that’s how the fans remember me, then so be it. I felt I played a part of that World Series championship team, so it feels special.
Accolades are great, and it means so much doing it in the World Series. Thirty teams started the season and you’re the last two teams standing. To succeed in the clutch, and to do it in front of everybody, it ranks right up there. The odds may have been against me to get the hit, but you never know if you can’t do anything if you’re not put in that situation. Getting that hit tells me that I belonged.
When I was with the Yankees [in 2005], I got to know Mariano as a teammate, not as a person. I was coming to a new team, and he was already established there. We never talked about [the 2001 World Series]. You don’t do that. At the time, the Yankees were going for championship No. 26 and I was looking for number one, so I didn’t rub it in his face and we didn’t talk about it. What happened was in the past and I’m sure he thought the same. The only time anybody [on the Yankees] ever mentioned my hit was when [Derek] Jeter told me that was the longest offseason he ever had. It’s a great compliment. I told him, “Look man, you guys had so many championships and I was looking for one. I’m sorry you had a long offseason but I was in the league a while and I had a lot more longer offseasons than you.”
David Wright
Third base
Playing Career
New York Mets since 2004
Career Statistics
1,374 games, 1,558 hits, 222 home runs, 876 runs batted in, .301 batting average, .382 on-base percentage, .506 slugging percentage
David Wright facing Mariano Rivera (regular season)
3-for-8, 1 extra-base hit, 3 runs batted in, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, .375 batting average, .375 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage
Mo Cred
Wright singled off Rivera in the ninth inning to give the Mets a 7-6 walk-off win at Shea Stadium, on May 19, 2006.
David Wright
Year Date Result
2005 5/22 Fly out
6/26 Ground out
2006 5/19 Single (1 RBI)
5/20 Strikeout (Swinging)
2009 6/12 Double (1 RBI)
2010 5/21 Ground out
6/20 Fly out
2013 5/28 Single (1 RBI)
I HAVE THE DISTINCT honor to one day tell my kids and grandkids that I got a walk-off hit against him. Obviously that’s one of the highlights for me. It went over Johnny Damon’s head in center field. As passionate as New York fans are about the Subway Series, to deliver a walk-off hit against the greatest closer in the game will definitely be a good story for my kids and grandkids one day.*
It’s a feat in itself to get a hit off of Mo, much less a run, and we were fortunate to be able to get a win against him. I think we surprised ourselves because when you get Mo coming in, it’s usually game over. He’s been about as perfect as you can be. Anytime you get a chance to steal one against Mo, you better take advantage of it, because that’s a once-in-a-career opportunity.
He’s first class all the way. The All-Star Game [tribute] was well-deserved for Mariano. I was in the clubhouse when he came in the game. All of a sudden I heard “Enter Sandman” start to play. So I hurried to throw on a sweatshirt and run out there, because I didn’t want to miss it. You knew something special was happening. You start to get some positive vibes in the dugout. I was on the top step clapping and cheering as loud as I could.
I don’t feel intimidated too often, but it was intimidating talking to Mo the first time. He’s legendary. I had just enough courage to thank him for being an unbelievable ambassador for the game. I kind of had to collect myself, because I was stutterin
g a little bit. Forget about the numbers. Forget about his body of work. Forget about being the greatest closer of all time. The way he carries himself and the way he goes about his business is special. I told him that every young baseball player should try to follow in his footsteps, because he’s a remarkable role model and someone that I look up to.
There are certain players, when you see them, there is a certain awe about them. I think Mariano has that, no matter if you are a Yankee or a Met or a Red Sox, whatever, you just have the utmost respect for guys like that. He’s gone out there and dominated and basically can tell you what’s coming and you still can’t hit it. There are not too many pitchers who have the ability to do that. It’s impressive.
Just from the few times I’ve been around him, he has been nothing but class [and] very nice to me. It just seems like he is a professional the way he goes about his business and the way that he handles himself and the results speak for themselves on the field.
I’ve always enjoyed watching him pitch. On one hand it’s the end of something, obviously great and historic, but on the other hand it’s a relief because we play those guys every year and I know how tough of an at-bat it is against him.
Kevin Youkilis
First base and Third base
Playing Career
Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees since 2004
Career Statistics
1,061 games, 1,053 hits, 150 home runs, 618 runs batted in, .281 batting average, .382 on-base percentage, .478 slugging percentage
Kevin Youkilis facing Mariano Rivera (regular season)
4-for-12, 0 extra-base hits, 1 run batted in, 2 strikeouts, .333 batting average, .467 on-base percentage, .333 slugging percentage
Mo Cred
Youkilis was a member of the archrival Red Sox before joining the Yankees as Rivera’s teammate in 2013.
AS A PLAYER, I’ve always loved facing the best because you’re not supposed to get hits, and if you do, it’s great. There was one game at Fenway where I got a base hit to start up a rally, and then Jason Bay [hit a homer that] tied it, so that was probably the best memory.*
Kevin Youkilis
Year Date Result
2004 9/17 Strikeout (Swinging)
2006 5/10 Fly out
5/11 Single (1 RBI)
8/20 Fielder’s choice
2007 4/28 Pop out
6/3 Walk (Hit by pitch)
2008 7/5 Walk (Hit by pitch)
7/25 Single
8/28 Fly out
9/28 Ground out
2009 4/24 Single
8/7 Strikeout (Looking)
9/26 Walk (Hit by pitch)
2010 5/18 Fly out
2011 5/15 Single
*The Yankees and Mariners were tied at two games apiece in the best-of-five 1995 A.L.D.S. The Mariners had tied the game at 4-4 with two outs and the bases loaded when Yankees manager Buck Showalter summoned Rivera, a rookie, to face Blowers, who had hit 23 home runs and driven in 96 runs that season. Rivera struck out Blowers on three pitches, though the Mariners would win 6-5 in eleven innings. Rivera had also struck out Blowers in the eighth inning of Game Three. Rivera struck out Blowers four times in five career at-bats, including the postseason.
*Rivera entered the game in a non-save situation with the Yankees leading 6-2 at Yankee Stadium, on April 13, 1999. With two outs and nobody on base in the top of the ninth inning, Bordick tripled on an 0-2 pitch and scored an unearned run on a passed ball.
*Chavez also faced Rivera in the 2000 and 2001 American League Division Series. He was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and made the final out of the 2000 series.
*DeRosa struck out on three pitches against Rivera with the Yankees ahead of the Atlanta Braves, 7-4, with one on and two out in the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium, on June 8, 2001. It was Rivera’s 183rd career save.
*DeRosa singled to center off Rivera leading off the bottom of the ninth inning of a game won by the Yankees 8-5 in Texas. Rivera pitched the ninth in a non-save situation, entering with a four-run lead, allowing only an unearned run, on May 7, 2006.
*The Yankees hit six home runs, including Jorge Posada’s two-run shot in the eighth inning that gave them a 7-6 lead. Enter Rivera, at the height of his brilliance, to pitch the ninth. At that point, the Yankees had won 124 consecutive games in which they held a lead after eight innings. Rickey Henderson started the rally with a walk, and Edgardo Alfonzo doubled to center. After John Olerud grounded out, Rivera intentionally walked Mike Piazza, and Franco, pinch-hitting for Melvin Mora, lined a 1-2 pitch to right to score the tying and winning runs.
**With two outs and the bases loaded, and the count 0-2, pinch hitter Franco was frozen by Rivera’s cut fastball that appeared to blaze over the outside corner of the plate. Plate umpire Jeff Kellogg called it a ball, and Franco laced the next pitch into right field for a two-run, game-winning single.
*Giambi also faced Rivera six times in the postseason. He was 0-for-3 in the 2000 American League Division Series, and 1-for-3 in the 2001 A.L.D.S., both won by the Yankees.
*Facing Rivera, Ramirez was 8-for-39 with 1 home run, 9 runs batted in, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts, 1 sacrifice fly, 3 hit by pitches, .205 batting average, .273 on-base percentage, .282 slugging percentage. Ramirez’s 9 RBIs are the most of any batter against Rivera.
*Hatteberg got a pinch-hit bloop single off Rivera in the bottom of the ninth inning of a game the Red Sox trailed 5-4. Nomar Garciaparra followed with a triple to score Hatteberg with the tying run. Hatteberg faced Rivera again in the bottom of the tenth inning and popped out to the second baseman. The Yankees went on to win the game 11-6 in fifteen innings at Fenway Park in Boston, on June 1, 1997. Rivera was not involved in the decision.
*The Yankees were winning by four runs, with two men on base and two outs. With the tying run on deck, making it a save situation, Rivera entered the game to face Koskie, who flied out to left field on Rivera’s only pitch. It was Rivera’s 365th career save. The only other time Rivera ever had a one-pitch save was against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, when he induced Erik Aybar to pop out to shortstop Derek Jeter to preserve the victory, on June 4, 2011. It was Rivera’s 574th career save.
**Johan Santana pitched eight shutout innings and Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless 9th as the Twins defeated the Yankees, 2-0, in Game One of the 2004 American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium.
*After Koskie’s game-tying ground-rule double, Rivera struck out Jason Kubel swinging and induced Cristian Guzman to ground out to first base to end the threat. Minnesota’s Torii Hunter hit a solo home run off New York’s Tanyon Sturtze with two outs in the top of the twelfth, but Joe Nathan of the Twins surrendered two runs in the bottom of the twelfth to take the 7-6 loss. The Yankees won the next two games to win the series.
*Martinez faced Rivera twice in Game Two of the 1995 American League Division Series; he grounded out and flew out.
*Merloni walked against Rivera in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 10-7 Yankees’ win at Fenway Park, on August 30, 2003. It was Rivera’s 273rd career save.
*Millar faced Rivera six times in the postseason: He was 0-for-3 in the 2003 A.L.C.S., including a fly out to end Game Three; and he was 0-for-2 with a walk in the 2004 A.L.C.S., including a strikeout swinging to end Game Two.
*Mueller was 1-for-6 against Rivera in the postseason. In the 2003 American League Championship Series, Mueller grounded out to second base three times: leading off the bottom of the ninth inning of Game Five; and leading off the top of the ninth and in the eleventh inning of Game Seven. In the 2004 A.L.C.S., Mueller was 1-for-3 against Rivera. He grounded into a double play in Game One, hit the clutch single in the bottom of the ninth of Game Four, and grounded out to first in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game Five.
*The Toronto Blue Jays were trailing the Yankees, 6-5, at Yankee Stadium, on July 4, 2010, when Overbay led off the top of the ninth inning against Rivera. With the count one ball, two strikes, Overbay hit a ground ball single throu
gh the first base hole into right field, and eventually scored the tying run. The Yankees went on to win 7-6 in ten innings. Overbay also homered earlier in that game.
*Reynolds struck out on four pitches leading off the top of the ninth inning against Rivera. The Yankees defeated the Diamondbacks, 4-1, at Yankee Stadium, on June 12, 2007. It was Rivera’s 421st career save.
*With the Indians four outs from elimination, Alomar’s solo home run off Rivera over the right-field fence tied the score with two outs in the eighth inning of Game Four of the American League Division Series at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. The Indians went on to win that game to even the series at two games apiece, and then the next day won Game Five to eliminate the Yankees from the playoffs. This was Rivera’s first playoff series as the Yankees closer, having replaced the 1996 World Series Most Valuable Player, John Wetteland, in that role.
*The Indians defeated the Yankees, 2-1, in ten innings at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, on July 12, 2002. Rivera blew the save in the eighth inning, and escaped a perilous ninth after walking two batters before retiring Selby on a ground out to first base unassisted for the third out.
**The Yankees had an early 7-0 lead, but the Indians made it 7-4 after seven innings. Rivera entered in the ninth and struggled immediately. After four hits, a fielder’s choice, and an intentional walk, the Indians had whittled the deficit to 7-6 with two outs. That’s when Selby hit the grand slam for a 10-7 Indians’ win.
*Rivera entered the game to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning with the Yankees leading the Blue Jays 10-1 on July 18, 1998. Rivera surrendered a lead-off home run to Mike Stanley, recorded two outs, and then allowed the home run to Sprague on a three-one count before getting the final out.
*Smith singled to right field on a three-and-two count with two outs and the Royals trailing, 6-3, in the bottom of the ninth inning of a game in Kansas City, on September 9, 2007. He then took second base on defensive indifference to get into scoring position, but Rivera retired John Buck to end the game and earn his 438th career save. Smith faced Rivera three other times that season: he singled, on July 25, 2007; struck out looking, on August 3; and flew out to deep center field, on August 5 (career save No. 430). His other hit facing Rivera came as a member of the Detroit Tigers, on May 26, 2005 (career save No. 347).