Mariano Rivera of the Yankees has done it again, pitching a scoreless 9th inning in relief to record another save, his 599th. In shutting down the Angels, Rivera is now just two saves away from tying Trevor Hoffman, baseball’s all-time saves leader with 601.
Rivera shut the door on the Halos to notch his 40th save of the season and help the Yanks snap a 4-game losing streak, with a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Bronx Bombers are now 3.5 games ahead of the Red Sox with 17 left to go. Rivera has pitched in 57 games this year with a 2.13 ERA.
As the 41-year old veteran took the mound today, he peered into the glove of a catcher nearly half his age. Austin Romine, a 22-year old rookie entered the game in the 7th inning as a defensive replacement, for his Major League debut. With youth behind the plate and experience on the mound, Rivera simply mowed down the Angels to prove he is a timeless wonder, who will most likely break Hoffman’s record before the season is over. There’s little doubt that when Rivera does retire, he will be considered the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history.
