The LoHud Yankees Blog

Most saves by oppponent
1. Baltimore Orioles – 70
2. Tampa Bay Rays – 59
3. Boston Red Sox – 54
4. Toronto Blue Jays – 47
5. Chicago White Sox – 41

Saves by month
March – 1
April – 82
May – 98
June – 117
July – 102
August – 112
September – 82
October – 6

Streaks
Saves on two consecutive days – 92
Saves on three consecutive days – 22
Saves on four consecutive days – 1
Rivera had saves on June 1, 2, 3 and 4 in 2004

By innings pitched
0.1 inning – 24
0.2 inning – 15
1.0 inning – 445
1.1 innings – 71
1.2 innings – 34
2.0 innings – 10
2.1 innings – 1

Most saves by winning pitcher
1. Andy Pettitte – 68
2. Mike Mussina – 48
3. Roger Clemens – 35
4. Orlando Hernandez – 32
5. David Wells – 25
6. Chien-Ming Wang – 24
7. Ramiro Mendoza – 23
8. David Cone – 20
9. Mike Stanton – 17
10. CC Sabathia – 16
11. Javier Vazquez – 15
11. A.J. Burnett – 15
13. Randy Johnson – 13
14. Phil Hughes – 11
14. Jeff Nelson – 11
15. Joba Chamberlain – 10
15. Tom Gordon – 10

Here and there
Home – 289
Road – 311

Milestone saves
No. 1 - May 17, 1996 vs. Angels
No. 100 – June 11, 1999 vs. Marlins
No. 200 – August 1, 2001 vs. Rangers
No. 300 – May 28, 2004 vs. Devil Rays
No. 400 – July 16, 2006 vs. White Sox
No. 500 – June 28, 2009 vs. Mets
No. 600 – September 13, 2011 vs. Mariners

Most saves as a Yankee
1. Mariano Rivera – 600
2. Dave Righetti – 224
3. Goose Gossage – 151
4. Sparky Lyle – 141
5. Johnny Murphy – 104

Most postseason saves
1. Mariano Rivera – 42
2. Brad Lidge – 18
3. Dennis Eckersley – 15
4t. Jason Isringhausen – 11
4t. Robb Nen – 11

This is what baseball’s all-time saves list looks like.

1. Trevor Hoffman, 601
2. Mariano Rivera, 600
3. Lee Smith, 478
4. John Franco, 424
5. Billy Wagner, 422

It’s literally two guys, and then everyone else. No one is within 100 of Rivera and Hoffman, and only two other active pitchers — Jason Isringhausen and Francisco Cordero — have as many as 300 saves. It’s not an exaggeration when people say we might never see 600 again.

After last night’s milestone, the Yankees were appreciative of their closer and their moment with history.

Russell Martin: “His focus level is amazing. He never really comes out of his game. He keeps his composure at all times and that’s what amazes me the most about it, how he can stay composed and just make pitch after pitch.”

Joe Girardi: “It’s a gift, a gift that he has. And he has used his gift to the best of his ability, and has given Yankee fans and baseball a lot to cheer about, and to be proud of. And he’s a great guy too on top of that. He’s a humble guy and you’ll never see Mo walk with his chest up.”

Alex Rodriguez: “Just to think about every game Mariano has ever pitched has been a meaningful game, and he’s either been in first place or second place, so the pressure you have to add to that. It’s just like Jeet. You’re doing it at Harvard with the Yankees. Every one of those saves meant something. Every one of them. Some of them were against our teams, whether it was Seattle or Texas, and I knew what an incredible competitor he was and what a weapon he was, even when he didn’t pitch. Pretty amazing… He’s at a point in his career where everything he does is groundbreaking. Every save from here until the end is going to be a new record — his own.”

A.J. Burnett: “I’m always going to be on the winning side of that. We all went out, came out in the ninth to watch it. We wouldn’t miss it, and it’s special. You won’t see it again, I don’t think.”

Derek Jeter: “We’ve been close for a very, very long time. I know how important it is to him to come here and do his job. He takes a lot of pride in doing his job. And he’s done his job better than anyone else… I think that if you ask him, we’re trying to win. We’re trying to win the division, I think that’s probably the first thing on his mind. If the game calls for him to come in, pretty sure he’ll do his job again.”

Mariano Rivera: “It was a great moment for my teammates to be there. They’re my family away from my family. It was great seeing them all come to the mound. I’ve been blessed to have a great bunch of guys as my teammates, supporting me and giving me all the opportunities to be able to pitch.”

—

Don’t forget, we’re chatting today at noon. Be there!

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Associated Press photo

In the dugout, the Yankees were gathered on the top step. They were leaning against the rail, staring onto the field, watching a familiar scene unfolding in a perfectly predictable way. First a strikeout, then a ground ball single, then another strikeout. Mariano Rivera was one out away from career save, and all of the Yankees seem to know it.

All of them except for Russell Martin.

“I really didn’t,” Martin said. “Just trying to get another win, you know? But it was special. I threw the guy out and didn’t realize until I saw everyone gathered up on the mound.”

Only Trevor Hoffman, and now Rivera, know what No. 600 feels like. Rivera’s next save with tie Hoffman’s record of 601, and every save after that will set a new mark.

“I think people will realize it when he’s no longer here,” Derek Jeter said. “Yankee fans have been spoiled, baseball fans watching him, us as teammates. You don’t see this. We don’t take him for granted, but I think a lot of people may, because he comes in, you assume it’s over, and the only time you talk to him is when he comes through.”

Rivera was exactly as he’s always been. Truth is, tonight’s save was momentous only because it was so perfectly routine. Rivera’s done this 600 times. He and Hoffman are the only pitchers to approach that number. He’s a constant, as close to a sure thing as the game’s ever seen. Does Rivera think about the journey to this moment?

“Maybe later on after I retire,” he said. “Right now, I’m not that type of guy. I’m a team player. I tell you guys many times and I’ll continue telling you that. It doesn’t depend on myself, it depends on my teammates giving me the opportunity to be able to pitch. Thank God for the opportunities. Thank God that we won. That’s the most important thing. We won.”

Of course they won. The Yankees had to win. They always win when Rivera gets the save, it’s the nature of the statistic. What set this one apart was the nice round number, and the fact it ended with a catcher — who had no idea he was on the verge of history — throwing out a base-runner, taking the end result out of Rivera’s hands.

Had Rivera ever saved a game like that?

“I think I have,” he said. “Definitely I have one.”

Here’s Rivera, classy as ever.

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• Long-term, of course this game will be remembered for Rivera’s 600th. Short-term, though, A.J. Burnett’s last three innings could be the most important thing about this night. He struck out seven of the last 11 batters he faced. “It’s a big step,” he said. “I kind of went back to my old delivery in the middle of the game, but kept the things we worked on with that. I was a little uncomfortable trying to get loose and trying to get the ball out like that, so Larry was like, ‘Whatever it takes.’ I was more aggressive, and I think the work we put in allowed my hands to stay in the right spot when I went back. It was confidence. Confidence and pitching with conviction.”

• When Joe Girardi, Larry Rothschild and Gene Monahan all went to the mound in the third inning, it was clear that the Yankees thought Burnett might be injured. Instead, Burnett said he simply wasn’t comfortable, and the discomfort showed in his delivery. He tweaked his mechanics after that inning, and the results were impressive.

• Impressive game for Martin even before the caught stealing in the ninth. Girardi called him a “blocking machine.” Burnett was, as always, raving about his catcher. “He loves it,” Burnett said. “I got one by him tonight, so I’ve got some bragging rights. When he’s like that back there, you have confidence. When I get ahead, I’m going to throw it in the dirt. That’s just where it’s going to go, and he’s got great eye coordination. It was sharp tonight, a real sharp breaking ball, and it gives you confidence to throw it again.”

• Martin on blocking balls in the dirt: “I do love it, except when I take it off the shoulder. Any meat part, I don’t like it as much. It seems like I’ve been finding meat a lot lately.”

• Rivera said he was surprised that Ichiro tried to steal a bag in that situation, but he also understood the decision. “I was surprised, but they’re trying to win the game,” he said. “They have to do that. If they have the speed that he has, I would try to do the same thing, too. It wasn’t a bad play.”

• The Yankees pitchers struck out 17 batters tonight. Burnett had 11 of them, and Dave Robertson had three strikeouts in his one inning. It was the 10th time in team history that the Yankees had 17 or more strikeouts in a game.

• It was the third time this season that the Yankees struck out at least 15 in a game, two of those have been against Seattle. The other was against Baltimore.

• Jeter extended his season-high hitting streak to 12 games.

• Robinson Cano has 111 RBI, which sets a single-season career high for him. He had 109 last year.

• Burnett threw two wild pitches tonight. They were the 24th and 25th of the season for him, setting a new Major League record. Matt Clement had the old record of 23 set in 2000.

• Burnett also had his first quality start since June 29.

• Martin didn’t know tonight was save No. 600, and he certainly didn’t know that 601 would tie the record and that 602 would break it. “OK, so let’s go get them,” he said. “You don’t really think about breaking a record, I’m more thinking about winning the game. But at the end of the day it’s pretty cool being a part of something like this.”

Associated Press photos

Mariano Rivera became the second pitcher in baseball history to reach 600 career saves, shutting down the Mariners in a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 3-2 win for the Yankees. Rivera is now one away from tying Trevor Hoffman’s all-time record of 601 saves. Rivera’s ninth preserved a win for A.J. Burnett who set a season-high with 11 strikeouts, including seven of the last 11 batters he faced. Robinson Cano homered in the second inning, then drove in the winning run with a ground ball in the sixth. Rafael Soriano and Dave Robertson formed a scoreless bridge to Rivera, who has 41 saves this season.

Associated Press photo

YANKEES (89-57)
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jesus Montero DH
Andruw Jones LF
Russell Martin C
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Brett Gardner CF

RHP A.J. Burnett (9-11, 5.27)
Burnett vs. Mariners

MARINERS (61-86)
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Kyle Seager 3B
Dustin Ackley 2B
Mike Carp LF
Justin Smoak 1B
Miguel Olivo C
Adam Kennedy DH
Casper Wells CF
Brendan Ryan SS

LHP Charlie Furbush (3-8 4.84)
Furbush vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 10:10 p.m., YES Network

WEATHER: Another day in Seattle. Lots of clouds, but still oddly nice outside.

UMPIRES: HP Tim Timmons, 1B Mike Muchlinski, 2B Jeff Kellogg, 3B Mark Carlson

STREAKING CAPTAIN: Derek Jeter has an 11-game hitting streak, his longest of the season. It’s the 43rd hitting streak of at least 10 games in his career, which is a franchise record. According to Elias, since the Yankees were established in 1903, only four Major Leaguers have more double-digit hitting streaks: Ty Cobb (66), Hank Aaron (48), Tris Speaker (47) and Al Simmons (44).

BETTER THAN THE KING: Mark Teixeira went deep off Felix Hernandez last night. It was Teixeira’s fifth career homer off the Seattle ace, and according to Elias that’s the most home runs any player has hit off Hernandez. Only one pitcher has surrendered more homers to Teixeira, and that’s Bruce Chen.

LIKE LAST YEAR: Robinson Cano has 109 RBI, matching his career-high which was established last year.

MAGIC NUMBER: The Yankees magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 10.

UPDATE, 10:26 p.m.: Burnett leaves runners are the corners and the game is still scoreless at the end of one inning.

UPDATE, 10:29 p.m.: Cano goes deep and it’s a 1-0 lead. Cano has now set a new career high for RBI.

UPDATE, 10:41 p.m.: The Yankees have handed Burnett a 2-0 lead — wild pitch scored Montero — heading into the bottom of the second. But the Mariners have opened this half inning with a sharp double by Olivo.

UPDATE, 10:47 p.m.: Two-out RBI single by Ryan pulls the Mariners within 2-1. Burnett struck out two in a row before Ryan got a ground ball through to right field.

UPDATE, 11:04 p.m.: The Yankees just went to check on Burnett on the mound — training staff included — and they have Noesi getting warm. Burnett promptly plunked Smoak to load the bases.

UPDATE, 11:18 p.m.: Montero gives and he takes away. Doubled to the wall, then was caught too far off second base for a 6-4 fielders choice.

UPDATE, 11:41 p.m.: Since the sac fly that tied the game at 2 in the third inning, Burnett has been absolutely dominant. He’s struck out five of the past seven Mariners, with the only exceptions being ground ball outs.

UPDATE, 11:50 p.m.: Swisher’s leadoff double leads to a run in the sixth, and the Yankees are up 3-2.

UPDATE, 12:06 a.m.: Burnett is up to 11 strikeouts through six innings.

UPDATE, 12:07 a.m.: Granderson pinch hits for Jones and singles, but Martin grounds into a double play — nice play by Ackley to start it — and the runner is wiped out in the seventh.

UPDATE, 12:10 a.m.: Here’s Soriano to pitch the seventh. As you might expect, Granderson has taken over in center and Gardner has shifted to left.

UPDATE, 12:26 a.m.: Golson in for Swisher in right field.

UPDATE, 12:39 a.m.: Robertson intentionally walks the bases loaded, obviously just so he can get comfortable.

UPDATE, 12:41 p.m.: Robinson never once had a chance. Not even for a second. Robertson gets the strikeout — of course he does — and gets out of the inning.

Three and half hours before first pitch, Joe Girardi still wasn’t sure who would be starting in right field. Nick Swisher was going to make some throws in the outfield, and his availability would depend on how he felt.

Obviously, he felt good enough to get in there.

“Tendinitis is going to go away,” Girardi said. “It could irritate him a little bit. It’s when it irritates him a lot that you worry about. There are a lot of guys that are probably playing with tendinitis in their arm right now, it’s just when it becomes too painful that you can’t do what you need to do.”

Just a few days ago, the Yankees seemed incredibly beat up, but the pieces are slowly falling back into place. Swisher is back in the outfield, Russell Martin is back behind the plate and Alex Rodriguez seems to be getting closer.

“It is good to see,” Girardi said. “It seemed like they all came at once, so we could have two back tonight and maybe a third – Alex – when we get to Toronto.”

• Curtis Granderson has a standard day off. Girardi figured it was a good day — as good as any, anyway — with a left-hander on the mound.

• Initially, the Yankees said Rodriguez would sit out three to four days. This is the fourth game he’s skipped, but Girardi is now planning to give him tomorrow, plus Thursday’s scheduled off day. “I think Friday is reasonable for Alex,” he said.

• Francisco Cervelli has been placed on the disabled list retroactive to Friday.

• Girardi said it’s still uncertain whether the Yankees will get Cervelli back this season. “I think it’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen,” he said. “Concussions today have become so unpredictable, you think you’re getting a guy back, he plays one game and then goes right back to the symptoms. I have no idea.”

• Phil Hughes pitched well last night. Now it’s A.J. Burnett’s turn. “I think he can get better and better,” Girardi said. “His changeup was the best I’ve ever seen it the other day. It still comes down to being able to locate your fastball, and I think his curveball has been better with the depth rather than going across.”

• Both Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman were getting loose during last night’s game, but neither actually got in. “I thought about using one of them,” Girardi said. “They were just throwing after that.”

• For those of you curious, four first-year pitchers have been carrying kids backpacks to and from the bullpen. George Kontos got Elmo, Hector Noesi got Dora the Explorer, Dellin Betances got Hannah Montana and Andrew Brackman got some sort of fairy character that I’ve never seen before.

MARINERS
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Kyle Seager 3B
Dustin Ackley 2B
Mike Carp LF
Justin Smoak 1B
Miguel Olivo C
Adam Kennedy DH
Casper Wells CF
Brendan Ryan SS

Associated Press photos

Curtis Granderson has a healthy day off.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jesus Montero DH
Andruw Jones LF
Russell Martin C
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Brett Gardner CF

The Yankees just passed along a press release announcing that their top
pick in this year’s draft has been named MVP of the GCL…

The Gulf Coast League today announced that Dante Bichette Jr., who hit .342 and led the league with 47 RBIs, 67 hits and 17 doubles has been named its Most Valuable Player. Bichette, who also excelled in the field for the Yankees by leading all third baseman with a .945 fielding percentage, headlines the 11-man Gulf Coast League All-Star Team.

Shortstop Jose Rosario and catcher Isaias Tejeda join Bichette from the league champion Yankees on the all-star team. Carlos Mendoza, who skippered them to the GCL title, is the Manager of the Year.

Chris Dickerson has nearly 500 big league at-bats to his name. He’s not a typical September call-up getting his feet wet. He’s been at this level, and he’s hit .276/.362/.426 in his career against right-handers.

With the Yankees, though, Dickerson’s hardly seen a bit of playing time beyond late-inning defense. He’s a left-hander in an left-heavy outfield, but last night he got his first start since the end of July and had two hits including a two-run homer off Felix Hernandez.

“The last live pitch I saw was two weeks ago,” he said. “Especially with him on the mound, you just have to jump on a fastball, and that’s what I was able to do.”

What’s he done to stay sharp?

“I think it’s just a matter of keeping a routine,” he said. “Just doing the same thing, make sure you’re getting your work in. Luckily, the month I got sent down I was able to play every day and really work on some things. It just came to a point where, every time you go down, you just keep on working on something and working on something, and kind of have the outlook that the minor leagues, it’s about having success, but it’s more about development.

“I just took those at-bats and put my swing back together, and luckily I found something that stuck so it was just a matter of coming in every day, and it was just about maintenance. Just coming in with Kevin and doing our drills, doing the same routine every day. When you’re on the bench, that’s a process to evaluate what they’ll try to try to do to you and how you’re going to approach every at-bat. It’s mental, but you just have to get in there and be aggressive.”