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Game over
Rivera dominates postseason like closers of yesteryear
Posted: Thursday October 25, 2001 2:33 AM
Updated: Thursday October 25, 2001 6:22 AM
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| The Untouchables |
|---|
Sub-2.00 ERA in postseason
(Minimum 40 innings pitched)
|
| Pitcher |
IP |
ERA |
| Mariano Rivera* |
72 2/3 |
0.74 |
| Sandy Koufax |
57 |
0.95 |
| Christy Mathewson |
101 2/3 |
1.06 |
| Eddie Plank |
54 2/3 |
1.32 |
| Mike Stanton* |
47 1/3 |
1.52 |
| Mickey Lolich |
46 |
1.57 |
| Orval Overall |
51 1/3 |
1.58 |
| George Earnshaw |
62 2/3 |
1.58 |
| Scott McGregor |
49 2/3 |
1.63 |
| Curt Schilling* |
58 1/3 |
1.70 |
| Stan Coveleski |
41 1/3 |
1.74 |
| Lefty Grove |
51 1/3 |
1.75 |
| Carl Hubbell |
50 1/3 |
1.79 |
| Waite Hoyt |
83 2/3 |
1.83 |
| George Mullin |
58 |
1.86 |
| Bob Gibson |
81 |
1.89 |
| Jack Billingham |
42 |
1.93 |
| Herb Pennock |
55 1/3 |
1.95 |
| F. Valenzuela |
63 2/3 |
1.98 |
| * Active player
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By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com
In an era when closers often come with a "Handle with Care" label, Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera is a true throwback.
Most managers pamper their high-priced closers, bringing them in for the last three outs of a game after an unheralded setup guy wiggles out of the eighth-inning jam. The inflated save totals end up devaluing the statistic, making a 30-save season seem downright pedestrian, if not easy.
But Rivera in October is different. He's Rollie Fingers without the handlebar mustache, Goose Gossage without the showmanship.
Rivera has the most postseason saves in history with 23. And that's not a soft 23, either, with 17 of them demanding more than one inning of work.
How Gossage-like is Rivera?
Consider that on Oct. 20, 1981, Gossage pitched a two-inning save for the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series against the Dodgers. The next day, Gossage again came in for two innings for another save. Rivera pulled off a similar feat in the Division Series against Oakland this season, going two innings to save Game 3 on Oct. 13 and repeating the feat in Game 5, two days later. In all, Rivera has retired six batters for a postseason save five times, the same total as Gossage (see chart, below).
Nobody has more World Series saves than Rivera's seven. Fingers is second with 6 saves, followed by three Yankees with four: Johnny Murphy, Allie Reynolds and John Wetteland.
Rivera can be counted on in non-save situations as well. He has pitched at least two innings in four of his five postseason victories and has yet to lose a game. The Panamanian right-hander has the lowest ERA (0.74) in postseason history among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched. The guy right behind him? Legendary lefty Sandy Koufax at 0.95.
Of course, it helps that Rivera's setup man, Mike Stanton, is No. 5 on that list at 1.52.
| Early Entries |
|---|
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The best postseason closers often get more than three outs to earn a save.
|
| Closer |
Saves |
Outs |
| 3 (or less) |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7-plus |
| Mariano Rivera |
23 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
| Dennis Eckersley |
15 |
9 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
| Rollie Fingers |
9 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
| Mark Wohlers |
9 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Tug McGraw |
8 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
| Rich Gossage |
8 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
| Randy Myers |
8 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
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