| | NEW YORK -- The slender right-hander with the buggy-whip fastball stood on the mound. Two outs. Ninth inning. Another World Series to close out.
It was no contest.
For the second year in a row, Mariano Rivera closed the case for the New York Yankees, and this time he was rewarded with the MVP
trophy.
|  | | Mariano Rivera closed it out with a scoreless ninth inning -- his 43rd consecutive scoreless inning. |
"I feel good about it," he said. "I just feel tremendous to
be there. I want to be there when this happens. I was the guy
throwing the last pitch. And I had the last out. It feels tremendous."
The Yankees couldn't think of anyone they'd rather have in that situation.
"He's the best," catcher Joe Girardi said. "He's the best closer I've ever seen."
The numbers support that point of view.
Rivera saved Game 1 of the Series, getting the last four outs in
a 4-1 Yankees victory. He came back with two scoreless innings as
the winning pitcher in the 6-5 victory in Game 3.
On Wednesday night, he came on in the eighth inning with the
tying runs on base and retired Chipper Jones on a grounder to end
Atlanta's last threat. Then he breezed through the ninth.
When he was done, Rivera had just added to an awesome postseason record.
In eight postseason appearances this October, he had two
victories and six saves. He has not allowed a run in his last 25
2/3 innings of postseason play, with two victories and 12 saves.
Rivera's postseason earned-run average of 0.36 -- two earned runs
allowed in 47 1/3 innings -- is the lowest for any pitcher with at
least 30 innings pitched in postseason history.
The Game 4 save extended his streak to 12 1/3 consecutive
scoreless innings over eight games in three World Series. The last
time he gave up a run in a Series game was the eighth inning of
Game 3 in 1996. The Yankees beat Atlanta that night, triggering a
record-tying streak of 12 World Series victories for New York.
There would seem to be an obvious connection.
"I love the challenge," he said. "I love to be in that
situation. I guess that's my motivation. Once you're there, you
have butterflies in your stomach. You know you're there for real.
You just want to do it."
Rivera was just as good in the regular season, finishing with a
4-3 record and 1.83 ERA and converting 45 of 49 save opportunities,
which tied his career high. He ended the regular season with a
scoreless streak of 30 2/3 innings over 28 games and converted his
last 22 save chances.
The last time he gave up a run was July 21 against Atlanta, more
than three months ago.
Rivera was the setup man for the '96 Yankees when bullpen
partner John Wetteland saved all four Yankees victories to earn the
MVP award of that Series.
"John was my teacher," Rivera said of Wetteland. "We would
sit together and spend time talking about baseball. I know I
learned a lot from him and he learned a lot from me, too."
When Wetteland signed as a free agent with Texas, Rivera inherited the closer role. The switch required a change in approach for Rivera.
"When you're the setup man, you know somebody will come behind
you," Rivera said. "When you're the closer, you know there's
nobody coming behind you. It's tough.
"The setup man has a net. The closer has nothing. If he falls,
he's dead."
With Rivera as a closer, that rarely has been a problem for the
Yankees.
| |
ALSO SEE
Yankees get sweep; Rocket gets ring
 |
