The 2009 World Series will be remembered for a number of reasons. It'll be remembered for Alex Rodriguez's redemption, for MVP Hideki Matsui's six-RBI day and for the brilliant performances of Cliff Lee and Chase Utley.
But perhaps how I'll best remember this Series is for the way in which it reinforced the dominance of Mariano Rivera.
The two highest-paid relievers in the league, Rivera and Brad Lidge, both loomed at the back end of their respective bullpens. But the levels of confidence that the Yankees and Phillies had in their closers was stunningly different.
When the Phillies had a lead at the end of a game, there was always a question as to whether they would be able to hold on — and who they would use to close the door. Lidge was given the opportunity to pitch the ninth inning of Game 4 with the score tied and he lost the game by giving up three runs. In Game 5 the Phillies didn't even use Lidge, instead going with Ryan Madson to protect a three-run lead.
Phillies fans felt nervous when the ball was handed over to their bullpen, and for good reason. They just didn't have that one guy who could be counted on to put the nail in the coffin.
There was no such anxiety among Yankees fans. Mariano Rivera was a rock as usual, whether New York needed him to get two outs or six. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits and no runs while recording two saves. And he did this while pitching with a ribcage injury.
In every sport, we love to debate about who's the best. There is very rarely a universally recognized, unequivocal answer. Tiger Woods, Roger Federer — those are players who stand in a class of their own and have for a while (though the case would be different in tennis if Rafael Nadal's knees were uninjured). Mariano Rivera is in the same category.
The closer is a position that's marked by volatility and fleeting success. Lidge, for example, converted all 48 of his save opportunities in 2008 (including the postseason), then followed up by compiling a 7.21 ERA and taking eight losses in 2009. Plenty of other closers have enjoyed their moment in the sun, followed by a drastic decrease in effectiveness. Mo, on the other hand, has been the same reliable and consistent reliever for 15 years — all by using the same two pitches that everyone knows are coming.
His career numbers are astounding: 2.25 ERA (first among active players), 1.01 WHIP (first among actives; third all-time), 3.93 strikeouts per walk (second among actives; fourth all-time), 0.5 home runs per nine innings (first among actives) and 526 saves (second active and all-time). His numbers in the postseason are even better: 8-1 record, 0.74 ERA, 0.773 WHIP, 5.1 strikeouts per walk, 0.1 home runs per nine innings and 39 saves. He's got 14 postseason saves of six outs or more, including five in the World Series both figures being the most all-time.
He's been an All-Star 10 times, he's finished in the top three of the Cy Young voting four times (including once when he was only a setup man in 1996) and he's won five World Series rings.
I know it's not particularly insightful or profound to make the argument that Rivera is the greatest ever at his position. But just look at his résumé. Is anyone ever going to approach those stats?
I say no. Mo is and forever shall be incomparable. Even if someone equals his regular-season success — Trevor Hoffman, after all, has been one of the best closers in the game since the mid-90s and is the all-time saves leader — Rivera's unbelievable postseason numbers will always separate him from the rest of the crowd. It's overwhelmingly obvious that Rivera, known as "The Sandman," can close out just about anything. If only I could use him to close out this column. Wait … I think I just did.
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David Heck is a senior majoring in philosophy. He can be reached at David.Heck@tufts.edu.
