Mariano Rivera - Legacy

Legacy

"When you go back and look at his career and what he's done with that one pitch, I don't think there's a greater achievement in this game than that. To go through major league hitters and dominate for all those years, it's one of the greatest feats I'll ever look back on... I don't think people realize how incredible it really is. It will never be duplicated, ever."

Rivera has been a dominant reliever throughout his career, pitching with a consistency and longevity uncharacteristic of a role commonly marked by volatility and high turnover. In his 16-year stint as the Yankees' closer, Rivera has compiled considerable career numbers. A 12-time All-Star, he is the majors' all-time regular season leader in saves (608) and games finished (892). He has finished 15 consecutive seasons with at least 25 saves and 14 seasons with at least 30 saves, both of which are records. Statistically, Rivera ranks as one of the top pitchers of his generation, amongst both starters and relievers; his career ERA (2.21) and WHIP (1.00) are the lowest of any pitcher in the live-ball era, making him one of the top pitchers since 1920 at preventing hitters from reaching base and scoring. He has recorded an ERA under 2.00 in 11 seasons, tying him with Walter Johnson for the most such seasons (minimum 60 innings pitched each). Rivera also has the best adjusted ERA+ (206) in MLB history, meaning the league average ERA is 106% more than Rivera's career mark, adjusted for ballpark.

In addition to his strong regular season numbers, Rivera has excelled in the postseason. He has an 8–1 win–loss record and a 0.76 WHIP in the postseason, and he holds numerous postseason records, including lowest ERA (0.70), most saves (42), most consecutive scoreless innings pitched (34 1⁄₃), most consecutive save opportunities converted (23), and most appearances (96). No pitcher has half as many postseason saves as he does. Joe Torre, who managed Rivera for most of his career, said, "Let's face it. The regular season for Mo is great, but that's the cupcakes and the ice cream. What separates him from everybody else is what he's done in the postseason." Rivera's dominance in postseason games has often led to him being utilized for two-inning appearances, as he has a record 14 saves of this variety. Between 1998 and 2008, he recorded 26 postseason saves of four or more outs; the second-highest total by any other pitcher was four such saves, and the rest of baseball combined had 33. At the start of the 2011 playoffs, Rivera ranked first all-time in win probability added in the postseason with 11.62, more than three times the total of the next-closest player. In a 2009 ESPN.com poll, Rivera was voted one of the top five postseason players in MLB history.

Rivera has achieved a reputation as an all-time great reliever among baseball experts and fellow players. Hall of Fame starter-turned-closer Dennis Eckersley called him "the best ever, no doubt", while Trevor Hoffman said he "will go down as the best reliever in the game in history". Torre said, "He's the best I've ever been around. Not only the ability to pitch and perform under pressure, but the calm he puts over the clubhouse." Writer Tom Verducci said, "Rivera is definitively the best at his position by a wider margin than any player at any position in the history of baseball. There is Rivera, a gulf, and then every other closer." He compared Rivera's reputation as the best at his position to that of Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky. Speaking about Rivera's looming presence at the end of games, Alex Rodriguez said, "He's the only guy in baseball who can change the game from a seat in the clubhouse or the bullpen. He would start affecting teams as early as the fifth inning, because they knew he was out there. I've never seen anyone who could affect a game like that." Gossage is less certain about Rivera's place in history, believing that the modern closer's role has become too specialized and easy compared to multiple-inning closers from Gossage's era; Rivera has earned only one regular season save of seven-plus outs in his career, whereas Gossage logged 53. Although the Baseball Writers Association of America has historically been reluctant to elect relievers into the Baseball Hall of Fame, sportswriters anticipate Rivera will be elected in his first year of eligibility.

Rivera is well respected among his peers for his professionalism. Fellow closer Joe Nathan said, "I look up to how he's handled himself on and off the field... You never see him show up anyone and he respects the game. I've always looked up to him and it's always a compliment to be just mentioned in the same sentence as him." Michael Young said of Rivera, "I respect Mo more than anybody in the game. The guy goes out there, gets three outs and shakes Posada's hand. You appreciate someone who respects the game like he does, respects the people he plays with and against, and obviously his results speak for themselves."

Several of Rivera's colleagues credit him with popularizing the cutter among major league pitchers. Fellow closer Jason Isringhausen, who adopted the pitch later in his career, said, "I think he's been an influence on everybody that throws it. Everybody saw what could do, basically with one pitch. Nobody could throw it like he did, but now, you talk about the evolution of the cutter—just ask hitters about it and they tell you everybody's throwing one. And they hate it." Al Leiter, whose signature pitch was a cutter, echoed Isringhausen's sentiments: "Now, everybody throws it and Mo has had a huge influence on that. Pitchers watched him and marveled at what he did with one pitch."

Rivera will be the last MLB player to wear the uniform number 42 on a regular basis, as he is the only active player still wearing the number after its league-wide retirement in 1997 in honor of Jackie Robinson.