Mariano Rivera

the playoffs last year and had a bullpen ERA of 4.37.  In the offseason they re-signed closer Mariano Rivera to a three-year, $45 million contract, a record for relievers.  This year Rivera has 26 saves and a 1.49 ERA, and hasn't blown a save all season.  Last year the Yankees' bullpen ERA was 4.37, but Rivera has helped New York's pen to a 3.64 mark this season.  The Yankees are right in the playoff mix as usual, sitting 5.5 games out of first and just 2.5 games behind Boston in the Wild Card race.

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e situations his ERA balloons to a whopping 9.82 over 11 innings pitched.

    Even Mariano Rivera and Brad Lidge, the only closers in the majors who have yet to blow a save, have pitched far worse in non-save situations than in save chances this season.  Combined they have 50 saves and have only allowed four earned runs in 51.1 innings (0.70 ERA) in save chances this year, compared to 13 earned runs in only 39 non-save innings (3.00 ERA).  Jon Rauch and Brian Fuentes, two pitchers who have spent significant time both in set-up and closer roles over the last few seasons, have similar splits in performance.  When Rauch was closing for the Nationals, he had a 1.61 ERA in save situations and a 4.15 ERA in non-save situations.  Fuentes, who assumed the closer role in late April and has since saved 17 games in 19 chances for Colorado, has a 2.45 ERA in save chances and a 4.62 mark in non-save situations since he was named the closer.  The all-time leader in saves, Trevor Hoffman has been having a sub-par season so far, but his numbers are still much more respectable in save situations than otherwise.  He has saved 22 games in 25 chances with a 4.03 ERA in those 25 games, as opposed to a 5.40 ERA in 10 innings of other circumstances.

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nings.  The Red Sox mounted a rally off Kyle Farnsworth in the eighth, but Joe Girardi brought Mariano Rivera in with one out to record a five-out save.  He struck out Jacoby Elsbury and got Dustin Pedroia on a come-backer to hold the 1-0 lead.  Mo was at his best in the ninth, striking out Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew to close out the game.

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d since 1990: Bobby Thigpen of the 1990 Chicago White Sox currently holds the record with 57, while Mariano Rivera is tenth with his 50-save performance of 2001. Eric Gagne and John Smoltz have both threatened to unseat Thigpen, each coming within two saves in 2003 and 2002, respectively.

Continue reading "K-Rod: King of Saves"