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He plays my favorite position- closer, and we have the same birthday- Nov. 29th. Before Mariano, I had to settle for sharing my birthday with Louisa May Alcott who wrote the popular testosterone packed book- "Little Women". Mariano more than makes up for this with his Enter Sandman intro.


I do agree with you that Mariano Rivera is the best closer of all time, however, the guy ahead of him, Trevor Hoffman deserves some mention. Rivera and Hoffman are baseball's Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden- both chasing the same record and both are in the twilight of their careers- Rivera at 39 and Hoffman at 41.

But let's look at them, and why I think Rivera is better despite having fewer saves.

The stats

Hoffman- 571 saves in 17 seasons, Rivera 500 saves in 15.
Hoffman- 1,074 K's, Rivera- 971 K's

Rivera has made much of his reputation in the postseason, and I do think that carries a lot of weight. Check these numbers out.

8-1 with 34 saves 93 K's and 16 walks in 117.1 innings pitched, and an ERA of 0.77.

His hold the career save records for World Series with 9, and division series with 15, and his postseason total of 34 is the most in postseason history- the next guy is HOF Dennis Eckersley with 15. His 10 saves in LCS play are second to Eckersley, who had a 11.

I will admit it is a little unfair because Hoffman has toiled for the Padres who seem like they are having a fire sale every three years. But his stats don't compare with Rivera, even though they are somewhat limted by comparison for the postseason

1-2 with an ERA of 3.46 with 4 saves and 14 K's with 5 walks in 13 IP.

Now as far as All-Star games, I think Mariano wins here to. (Imagine that, someone in the AL beating someone in the NL aGAIN)

Rivera- 9 selections, 3 saves, 4 K's and an ERA of 0.00. His 3 saves are tied with guess who? Dennis Eckersley for the most in All-Star play.

Hoffman- 6 selections- 0-1 with 0 saves, 5 K's and an ERA of 10.12

Now, for pitchers the Cy Young is the most coveted award. For a relief pitcher, their Cy Young Award is the Rolaids Reliefman of the Year Award.

Hoffman has two Rolaids Relief man of the year Awards, and apparently is a pretty nice guy, because he also won the Roberto Clemente Award. Hoffman has led the league in saves twice with one 50 save season.

Rivera has four Rolaids Relief man of the Year Awards, AND one ALCS MVP AND a World Series MVP AND he has written a devotional. I only know that because my Mom gave it to me for Christmas. And it's pretty good. Jesus > Roberto Clemente. Rivera has led the league in saves three times, including two 50 save seasons.


In conclusion, they both have some similarities as well- Both have the best intros in baseball, as mentioned Rivera's Enter Sandman and Hoffman's Hell's Bells- point to Hoffman there. Both have signature out pitches that aren't breaking balls- Rivera's cutter and Hoffman's change-up- and are among the most devastating in baseball history. Hoffman also started out as a shortstop, just like his brother, Glenn, who was a pretty good player for the Red Sox and Dodgers in the 80's. Rivera has a cousin, Ruben Rivera that made it with the Yankees very briefly as an OF, and was recently toiling in the Mexican Winter League. But with the game on the line, if I have to give the ball to one of the two, I have to give it to Mariano Rivera.

It all is going to depend on how long Hoffman can go, and how long Rivera can go. Right now, it looks like they aren't slowing down too much- at least not to the point where they aren't effective.

I just find it incredible that a guy can be so good in the Big Leagues for so long almost relying on one pitch.