Joe Hands it to Mo
Texas Rangers’ closer Joe Nathan earned his first career All-Star Game save in 2013, arguably the greatest moment of the six-time All-Star’s career. Nathan immediately found Rivera and handed him the game ball, knowing that while he might have technically been the closer, the game belonged to Rivera, who was named the Most Valuable Player.
To be able to hand the ball over to him that I saved with him in the bullpen was pretty cool. It’s no secret how much I look up to him, so to be able to do that for him was awesome.
It’s a thrill and an honor just to get the chance to talk to him. I sat down and had a 20-, 30-minute conversation and just picked his brain. We all learn from each other and we can all probably take something from each [other].
This game is all about adjustments and trying to make yourself better. And even Mariano, I’m sure, is doing what he needs to do to have the edge when he goes out there.
I’m not going to [approach] the saves total of Mariano Rivera, but if I can be in the same sentence with him, that will be quite an accomplishment.*
Denny Neagle
Pitcher
Playing Career
Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, and Colorado Rockies from 1991 to 2004
Career Statistics
392 games, 124 wins, 92 losses, 3 saves, 4.24 earned run average, 1,890 innings, 1,887 hits, 594 walks, 1,415 strikeouts
Mo Cred
Neagle was Rivera’s teammate on the Yankees’ 2000 World Series championship team.
I WAS ALSO ON the other side with Atlanta in the 1996 World Series when John Wetteland was the closer for the Yankees and Mariano was setting up for him. I can tell you without a doubt that our hitters were actually looking forward to facing the closer, rather than the guy who was the set-up man. It’s rare for a team to feel that way. I remember our hitters saying, “Thank God, Wetteland is coming in, at least we’ve got a chance now.”
By no means is that a knock against John Wetteland, he had a great career, too. But because Mariano had such amazing stuff, you knew what kind of talent he was even before he was closing.
The young Mariano Rivera could throw pretty hard. The radar gun might read 94 or 95 miles per hour. Although hitters knew he was throwing hard, 95 [m.p.h.] actually feels like 99 [m.p.h.] against him. Some pitchers are maximum effort. They’re all arms and legs coming at you. Rob Dibble [of the Reds] and Mitch Williams [of the Phillies] come to mind, guys who rear back and give it everything they have. Mariano’s motion is so smooth and the mechanics of his delivery so effortless, the ball seems to get on top of you in a heartbeat. Guys I played with [in Atlanta] like Ryan Klesko and Javier Lopez couldn’t believe how quickly the pitch got on them. They would come back to the dugout saying, “God, I thought I was right on that pitch and before I knew it, it was by me.”
He was so effortless it didn’t seem like he was throwing that hard.
Being on the same team with him was special; he was a joy to watch. One thing about Mariano that jumps out is how he carries himself on a day-to-day basis. Mariano personifies what being a professional is all about. When I joined the Yankees he already had the resume, and he had the credentials to back it up. Some players let their egos get in the way, they feel they’re above the game, and they act like they’re above the fans. Not Mariano Rivera. Look up the word “professional” and you’ll see Mariano’s picture; if he’s not the face of what it means to be a professional, he’s certainly one of the faces of it.
Every once in a while, a person comes along in a sport that you can’t help but take notice of. Even his fellow competitors and teammates take notice of how they work: what they do to prepare, how they throw, when they throw. I consider myself a big fan of the game, as well as a competitor playing the game, and there are a select few players that I would stop whatever I was doing to watch them go about their business. I had the pleasure of playing with Greg Maddux for three years in Atlanta; he was one of those guys. To watch the way he carried himself, prepared for games, studied hitters, it was amazing, even the littlest things were important to watch because you can’t help but learn from a guy like that.
It’s the same thing with Mariano. I watched how he prepared, how he took care of his body, and the way he carried himself. He has the same routine every day and he goes out to the bullpen at a certain point in the game. I can’t remember his exact routine, but I do know he would go to the bullpen a lot earlier than other closers. That’s another personality trait of Mariano’s that goes to show you what kind of person and what kind of teammate he is. He wanted to show his fellow relievers that he wasn’t above them. He also went to the bullpen early to be able to help out another reliever. He wanted to be there to help in any way he could.
One game that sticks out in my head was my fourth or fifth start for the Yankees. We were in Kansas City, and I remember it was a hard-fought game. I pitched really well, but we were losing 1-0. Then in the top of the ninth inning we were fortunate to put together a big rally, but the Royals fought back to make a game of it. Then Mariano came in to save it. It wasn’t anything in particular that he did. It wasn’t a wow moment; he didn’t strike out the side or anything like that. But I remember sitting on the bench with a comforting feeling that I was going to get the win for the team.*
In years past, playing on teams with different closers, even good ones like Mark Wohlers in Atlanta, as good as they were, there’s something about Mariano that is a very comforting factor. As a starting pitcher you pace the ninth inning until you get that W. It’s baseball and crazy things can happen, but when Mariano walked on the mound it was lights out, game over, chalk this up as a W for the team. Even before the third out was called, you liked your chances to win because Mariano was in the game.
I thank God I didn’t ever have to bat against him, because otherwise I would have had some splinters in my hands.
Jeff Nelson
Relief pitcher
Playing Career
Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, and Chicago White Sox from 1992 to 2006
Career Statistics
798 games, 48 wins, 45 losses, 33 saves, 3.41 earned run average, 784 innings, 633 hits, 428 walks, 829 strikeouts
Mo Cred
Nelson spent six seasons in the bullpen with Rivera while playing for the Yankees and together they helped the team win four World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.
I REMEMBER HIM IN 1995, his rookie year, when I was with Seattle. Our hitters couldn’t touch him. I remember some of our hitters probably thanking [Yankees’ manager] Buck Showalter that he didn’t pitch Mariano in some key situations [in the American League Division Series].*
He’s got such a smooth wind-up and an easy delivery. The ball gets on you fast and that makes it hard for a batter to pick up his cutter. As a rookie, he was throwing harder than he is now. Back then he could hit 96 [miles per hour]. He would pound left-handed hitters inside, pitch right-handed hitters away, and then also climb the ladder. A fastball up in the zone looks good to a hitter, but with Mariano, the ball gets on you so quickly that he gets a lot of swings and misses. Add that to his cutter, which is so hard to pick up, and that’s what makes him so dominant to face. If the Yankees had the lead and he came in the game, you could tell the other team is thinking: “Oh no, Mo’s coming in and it’s over.”
My job was to pitch the seventh or eighth inning, and to get my outs, because I knew if I did my job, Mariano was coming in to pitch the ninth inning. My goal was to leave Mariano with three outs; I didn’t want him coming in in the eighth inning—[Yankees’ manager] Joe Torre didn’t want him coming in in the eighth. I wanted to get those outs in the eighth and let Mo pitch the ninth.
Even though he’s pitching one inning, he is by far the most dominant pitcher I’ve ever seen. Players all around the league know that if it’s the ninth inning and the Yankees have the lead, [the game] is over. Opposing managers cringe whe
n they see him running out from behind the outfield wall.
It was his routine to come out to the bullpen in the seventh inning to get ready for the ninth. He’s quiet. The only time he lets loose is when it’s a blowout, when the game gets out of hand, and he knows he’s not getting into the game; then he’ll relax a bit, he’ll smile and joke around. On those nights he would come out [to the bullpen] to participate in a gag or a joke and then he’d go back to the dugout.
You don’t know by looking at him if he’s done a great job or bad job, he stays the same all the time. He forgets about his past outing, whether it’s good or bad. If it’s bad, and he gave up the game, the next night he wants the ball again. He’s got a short memory, and that’s the key to being a great reliever.
Andy Pettitte
Pitcher
Playing Career
New York Yankees and Houston Astros from 1995 to 2013
Career Statistics
531 games, 256 wins, 153 losses, 3.85 earned run average, 3,316 innings, 3,448 hits, 1,031 walks, 2,448 strikeouts
Mo Cred
Rivera has saved a win for Pettitte 72 times in their careers—the most of any starter-closer duo in baseball history.
WE WERE KIND of up-and-coming starters in the organization. I know in ’95 he broke in the rotation. I was in the rotation and he came up during the middle of the year, made a few starts. Then they turned him into a reliever. Just to see him coming up, pitching with me in that ’95 rotation. Then to see him now, turned into a reliever and what he’s been able to do, it’s amazing to see, that’s for sure.
Man, there are so many favorite times that I think about. Game Seven against Boston in 2003 was a special moment. He kind of rose above everything, just like, “I got another inning in me.” He probably could have pitched as many innings as we needed him to, if Booney [Aaron Boone] wouldn’t have hit that home run.
We just have a special relationship. I don’t know how to explain it. Obviously, when you spent as much time together after as many years as we’ve been together, you just kind of grow a little closer to one another than you would with other teammates. He’s always been there for me.
Obviously I feel real secure and good about things whenever you see that guy comes running in from the bullpen in the ninth inning. For someone that has done the things Mo has done in this game and been as great as he has, it’s special for me watching him this year knowing this is going to be his last year. After this, he won’t be closing any games for us, so I’ll savor it as much as I can.
It’s exciting for me to know he’s going to get the opportunity to do the things he’s been looking forward to doing with his family. But also it’s sad, knowing he’s not going to be going back out there taking the mound at Yankee Stadium in the ninth inning and closing games out for the Yankees after this year. It’s been a blessing for me to be able to say I’ve played with him, and obviously, if he’s happy, I’m happy.
Most Win/Save Combinations, All-Time*
Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera (New York Yankees) 72
Bob Welch and Dennis Eckersley (Oakland Athletics) 57
Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera (New York Yankees) 49
Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley (Oakland Athletics) 43
Jimmy Key and Tom Henke (Toronto Blue Jays) 37
Kevin Tapani and Rick Aguilera (Minnesota Twins) 37
*Since saves became an official statistic in 1969
Courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau
J.J. Putz
Relief pitcher
Playing Career
Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks since 2003
Career Statistics
554 games, 36 wins, 32 losses, 189 saves, 2.99 earned run average, 553 innings, 452 hits, 178 walks, 585 strikeouts
Mo Cred
Putz beat out Rivera to win the Rolaids Relief Man award in 2007 as the American League’s top relief pitcher.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY to talk with [Mariano] in 2006, the first year I was closing. He spent about forty minutes with me talking behind home plate at three o’clock in the afternoon before batting practice. It was just an honor to be on the field with him, but also to be able to talk to him and kind of pick his brain was pretty special. [It’s] something I’ll never forget.
He’s amazing. It’s hard enough pitching late in the game with an arsenal of pitches. But to be able to go out there and be as dominant as he is—he’s undoubtedly the most dominant late-game reliever ever to play the game—and the fact that he did it with one pitch, makes it that much more remarkable.
In my opinion, he’s not just the best reliever of all time; I think he’s the best pitcher—period—of all time. Just the dominance he’s had for almost two decades, on the stage that he’s done it on, all the postseason records he holds, it’s mind-boggling.
Nobody wants to remember a guy like Mo getting carted off [the field] on a John Deere tractor. He’s been one of the biggest attractions in this game, and the fact that he came out [after his 2012 knee injury] and said he’s not going out like that really made me smile.
David Robertson
Relief pitcher
Playing Career
New York Yankees since 2008
Career Statistics
339 games, 21 wins, 14 losses, 8 saves, 2.76 earned run average, 329 innings, 267 hits, 143 walks, 428 strikeouts
Mo Cred
Robertson, who has spent time in the bullpen as Rivera’s teammate with the Yankees since 2008, is considered by most baseball experts to be Rivera’s heir apparent.
I TRY NOT TO think about [the pressure of taking over for Rivera as the closer]. If I get the opportunity to close ball games, I’m going to try to do the same thing I’ve been doing in the eighth inning. You have to get three guys out; you’ve got to keep the momentum on your side and not make a lot of mistakes.
If I get the opportunity [as the next Yankees’ closer] hopefully I can do well, but as of now, I’m not worried about it. We got the best guy there is right now at the back of bullpen. If we can get a lead I am very confident we can keep the lead and win the ball game. Mariano is good—he’s really good. Every time I watch him pitch, I think, gosh, he never seems to make mistakes. He’s just amazing. He’s always on top of his game. He’s one of a kind. He’s not worried about the end [of his career]. He’s enjoying his last year and having fun winning ball games.
Most impressive about Mariano is his confidence, his consistency, and his mound presence. It doesn’t matter who’s in the [batter’s] box, he knows he’s going to make pitch after pitch after pitch. Either you’re going to get lucky and get a hit, or he’s going to get you out. He throws one pitch. He’ll throw a sinker every now and then, but he lives and dies by that cutter. People know it’s coming and he still gets them out. It’s unbelievable. I think hitters get themselves out because by the time guys get in the [batter’s] box they’re already thinking about how that cutter is going to eat them up.
When he takes the mound you don’t ever see him flustered or mad because he gave up a hit. He battles his way out of situations. You never see his facial features change. Nothing bothers him. When he had that blown save against the Mets, the next day, in the clubhouse, he was laughing and joking and carrying on like nothing happened. It’s a reliever’s life. You can have bad games, two or three in a row, but you’ve got put yourself together for the next game. It’s like hitting; if you get in a slump, you have to dig your way out of it.*
Mo Respect
CC Sabathia
The indomitable Yankees’ ace was Rivera’s teammate on the Yankees from 2009 to 2013, and was a member of the 2009 World Series championship team.
He’s been one of the best players in Major League Baseball for a long time, and to do it all with the Yankees is unbelievable.
Every day is the same for him, whether we win or lose, good or bad, you can never tell. He’s always the same. That’s something special in baseball, and he has
that.
He’s been consistent in every way. He comes in and does his work. He’s focused. That’s the word that comes to mind.
Just being able to be on his team for the last five seasons and have the feeling that when he comes in the game, it’s pretty much over, has been awesome.
I thought what was done for him at the [2013] All-Star Game was amazing. It was great how he took the field by himself, and got a standing ovation from the crowd, and from players on both teams. I got chills watching it on television. And to get the Most Valuable Player award, too, he’s just so deserving of all the respect he gets. He’s such a nice guy. He’s the same guy every day. When you meet Mariano Rivera you know you’re meeting someone special. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever known in my life.
Curt Schilling
Pitcher
Playing Career
Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Boston Red Sox from 1988 to 2007
Career Statistics
569 games, 216 wins, 146 losses, 22 saves, 3.46 earned run average, 3,261 innings, 2,998 hits, 711 walks, 3,116 strikeouts
Mo Cred
Schilling and the Diamondbacks defeated Rivera’s Yankees in the 2001 World Series and Schilling did it again in the 2004 American League Championship Series as a member of the Red Sox.
MARIANO IS AN incredibly intelligent guy. He’s always had unbelievable command, and he’s somebody who has studied his craft.
Facing Mariano Rivera Page 21