Facing Mariano Rivera Read online

  And so I went out and took a curtain call.

  [Mariano] lives with that hard, cut fastball. He gets lefties with it time after time. You see it every night on TV. I just told myself I wasn’t going to get beat by that pitch. He threw one 92 miles per hour on the outside part of the plate. I was not looking for that pitch. He threw some great pitches on the outside part of the plate, exactly where I wasn’t looking.

  The pitch just before [the winning hit] was a close call. My heart stopped for half a breath. The Yankees sure thought it was strike three. I’m thinking, “It’s Mariano, man, and Mo always gets that call. Who the heck am I? Matt Franco doesn’t get that call.” But I did, though I’m not sure how, and then I got the hit and we won.**

  My friends will sometimes say in a good-natured way that my [lifetime] batting average [of .267] is not that good, and I say, “Yeah, but when your at-bats are against Mariano Rivera, Robb Nenn, and all those closers, it’s pretty good.” Being a major league player was pretty cool.

  Nomar Garciaparra

  Shortstop

  Playing Career

  Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland Athletics from 1996 to 2009

  Career Statistics

  1,434 games, 1,747 hits, 229 home runs, 936 runs batted in, .313 batting average, .361 on-base percentage, .521 slugging percentage

  Nomar Garciaparra facing Mariano Rivera (regular season)

  7-for-18, 3 extra-base hits, 3 runs batted in, 3 strikeouts, .389 batting average, .389 on-base percentage, .611 slugging percentage

  Nomar Garciaparra

  Year Date Result

  1996 9/28 Strikeout (Swinging)

  1997 6/1 Triple (1 RBI)

  1998 9/8 Single

  1999 5/20 Single

  5/27 Pop out

  Postseason 10/14 Single

  10/17 Ground out

  2000 6/14 Ground out

  9/8 Fly out

  9/9 Strikeout (Looking)

  2003 5/28 Single (2 RBI)

  7/6 Fielder’s choice

  7/7 Single

  7/25 Double

  8/30 Fly out

  8/31 Strikeout (Swinging)

  9/7 Fly out

  Postseason 10/11 Ground out

  10/14 Ground out (1 RBI)

  10/16 Strikeout (Looking)

  2004 7/23 Ground out

  7/24 Double

  2009 7/26 Ground out

  Mo Cred

  Garciaparra, a two-time American League batting champion, was 1-for-5 facing Rivera in the postseason.

  HE’S GOING TO go down as one of the best closers, if not the best closer, in baseball. He set a standard for aspiring closers.

  I moved closer to the mound against him. It probably increases velocity, but I was more worried about the late break. His cutter would break so late.

  Not every one of them cut. It wasn’t like every single one of them moved the exact same distance. I was more worried about the break than the velocity, so I thought if I moved up [in the batter’s box] I could reduce that late break.

  Jason Giambi

  First base and Designated hitter

  Playing Career

  Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, and Cleveland Indians since 1995

  Career Statistics

  2,234 games, 2,002 hits, 438 home runs, 1,436 runs batted in, .278 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, .519 slugging percentage

  Jason Giambi facing Mariano Rivera (regular season)

  3-for-12, 0 extra-base hits, 1 run batted in, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, .250 batting average, .357 on-base percentage, .250 slugging percentage

  Mo Cred

  Giambi played with the Yankees for seven seasons as Rivera’s teammate from 2002 to 2008.

  Jason Giambi

  Year Date Result

  1995 9/1 Strikeout (Looking)

  9/1 Strikeout (Swinging)

  1996 5/21 Fielder’s choice

  8/23 Single

  9/2 Fielder’s choice

  1997 4/5 Single

  4/11 Pop out

  7/28 Ground out

  1999 4/6 Single

  (1 RBI)

  8/11 Foul out

  8/30 Walk

  2000 8/8 Walk

  Postseason 10/4 Ground out

  10/6 Ground out

  10/8 Fly out

  2001 (Postseason) 10/11 Double play

  10/13 Ground out

  10/15 Single

  2009 4/22 Fielder’s choice

  2013 6/4 Strikeout (Swinging)

  WE BROKE INTO the big leagues almost at the same time. I spent a lot of time facing him when I played for the [Oakland] A’s. The things that made him so successful from Day 1 were presence and preparation. Even when he was younger he was so good with the location of his pitches. He had that cutter that ran up on you at 93, 94 miles per hour. He had other pitches, too, but the cutter was his bread and butter. He was throwing saw blades up there, chewing up bats. The amazing thing is 17 years later the cutter is still his bread and butter. He runs it in on you and ties you up. I don’t know if you’re going to see a guy like that come around anymore, especially a guy who does it with just one pitch. You go up there looking for one pitch and you still can’t hit it.*

  I was a teammate of his for a long time in New York. He’s incredible. There’s no better closer, in my opinion, than Mariano. The guy is like ice. I was there [in New York] for seven years and I can only count maybe one or two times that I can remember that he had a blown save. And you were so shocked that he blew a save. It was incredible. And what really stands out is he did this playing in the American League East. That’s where you find out what kind of player you are, the A.L. East, and that’s where he spent his entire career. And what he does in the postseason, there’s no way to put it into words, how dominating he was. Talk about a guy who makes a difference in a game. Early in his career he was getting two-inning saves, so it’s like you’re playing seven-inning baseball [games].

  When I was a designated hitter, I’d go into the clubhouse between innings to stay loose and watch videos. Mariano wouldn’t go to the bullpen until the later innings. We’d start talking and he was never uptight. He was asking me about hitters and what they think about in [certain] situations. He was always looking for something he could use [to his advantage], something that would give him an edge on a hitter.

  With most guys if you interrupt their routine they stress out. Not Mariano. He’s always relaxed. He likes to stretch and get a massage before the game. With most guys, they keep a routine, like they want their massage at 1:03 p.m. If Mariano walks in and someone is on the table, it doesn’t bother him. He waits and nobody feels uncomfortable, like they are disrupting him.

  Every day in batting practice, he would go out to center field to shag fly balls after he got done running. He takes shagging fly balls seriously. People don’t know what a great athlete he is. We always told him he was our center fielder if anyone went down.

  We used to tease Bernie Williams that if Mariano got bored pitching he was going to take Bernie’s job from him.

  He’s an incredible human being. I don’t think there will ever be anybody like him again. It’s a sad day when he retires. We became really close in New York and I wish him all the best.

  Ozzie Guillen

  Shortstop and Manager

  Playing Career

  Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, and Tampa Bay Rays from 1985 to 2000

  Career Statistics

  1,993 games, 1,764 hits, 28 home runs, 619 runs batted in, .264 batting average, .287 on-base percentage, .338 slugging percentage

  Ozzie Guillen facing Mariano Rivera (regular season)

  3-for-12, 1 extra-base hit, 1 walk, .250 batting average, .308 on-base percentage, .333 slugging percentage

  Mo Cred

  Guillen struck out facing Rivera in the 1999 World Series. He was the manager of the defending world champion White Sox when Rivera earned his 400th career save in 2006.r />
  Ozzie Guillen

  Year Date Result

  1995 7/4 Walk

  7/5 Ground out

  7/6 Ground out

  1996 5/3 Fly out

  5/12 Single

  8/8 Single

  8/12 Pop out

  8/14 Ground out

  1997 4/19 Ground out

  4/26 Ground out

  7/17 Fielder’s choice

  1998 6/22 Double

  6/24 Double play

  1999 (Postseason) 10/26 Strikeout

  GOD BLESS MARIANO. He goes out and he’s the closer for two innings sometimes. You don’t see that too often. Mariano keeps doing the same thing he’s been doing for the last 19 years, whatever he’s been in the league. It’s amazing what he can do.

  One word: Hall of Fame. On the field and off the field, he’s a Hall of Famer. Young players look up to him. The way he is, the way he performs on the field and the way he treats people, I think Mariano is the perfect baseball player.

  I had a great time at the All-Star Game. We got to see the best closer ever, Mariano Rivera. He has broken my bat before and probably hundreds of others during his career. It was amazing to see him go out like that. I actually shed a couple of tears.

  One of the things I love about this game is that even though we all know Rivera is the best ever, he’s still been beaten and walked off on. That’s why this game is so special; you never know what’s going to happen.

  Scott Hatteberg

  First base and Catcher

  Playing Career

  Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, and Cincinnati Reds from 1995 to 2008

  Career Statistics

  1,314 games, 1,153 hits, 106 home runs, 527 runs batted in, .273 batting average, .361 on-base percentage, .410 slugging percentage

  Scott Hatteberg facing Mariano Rivera (regular season)

  1-for-13, 1 run batted in, 2 walks, .077 batting average, .200 on-base percentage, .077 slugging percentage

  Mo Cred

  Hatteberg is a prominent character in the Michael Lewis novel, Moneyball, due to his high on-base percentage.

  THINKING ABOUT FACING Mariano Rivera still gives me nightmares. He was the one closer that I ever faced who didn’t have that lightning stuff. He wasn’t like a black mamba type of snake, he was a constrictor—he slowly sucked the life out of you, and then the lights went out. It didn’t seem like a violent at-bat, it just seemed like you had no chance.

  Scott Hatteberg

  Year Date Result

  1997 6/1 Single

  6/1 Pop out

  6/2 Fly out

  9/16 Line out

  9/16 Fly out

  2000 6/20 Pop out

  2001 4/14 Ground out

  5/28 Ground out

  2002 4/24 Ground out

  8/9 Ground out

  2003 5/10 Ground out

  2004 8/4 Walk

  Walk

  2005 5/6 Reached on error (2 RBI)

  5/15 Ground out

  I had different grades of success facing him—bad and worse! As a lefthander, I just hoped to save my bat. That was it. If I didn’t break my bat, it was a pretty good at-bat for me, and I was happy. I didn’t do squat off him. Nobody I knew really did anything off him. The only guy I ever saw do anything off him was Manny Ramirez; he seemed to do a good job facing him. Other than Manny, I didn’t see anybody sniff that guy.*

  Mariano just chewed up lefthanders. He was pretty darn good against righties, but lefties just had no chance against that cutter. I remember being at a FanFest in Oakland. Ken Macha was our manager, and people at the FanFest were asking questions. One fan asked me, “Is there any question you’d like to ask your manager?” The first question that popped into my mind was, “Why the hell do we keep pinch-hitting lefthanders against Mariano Rivera?” Macha just looked at me and he laughed, but he didn’t have any answer for me.

  I remember getting one hit, and I broke my bat in 50,000 pieces and the ball barely slinked over into right field. Other than that, I seriously don’t think I ever got another hit. I choked up, I stood in front of the box, I pulled off, I took pitches, I swung early; I tried everything. Really the best ball I ever hit I think was a line drive over their dugout. You couldn’t do anything with that cutter but pull it foul. The two times I walked, that was probably part of my new plan of not swinging at anything!*

  Playing in Boston, we faced him a lot. At the time we were pretty good, but the Yankees were really good. They got the best of us more often than not. As a Red Sox you were completely brainwashed, you were trained to hate the Yankees, but he’s one of those guys who [is] hard to hate. He was so good, and so classy, that you couldn’t hate him. You really respected the guy, obviously, not only for his amazing talent, but he seemed like a quality guy. I don’t know him at all, but to do what he did for so long on the big stage, you have to be impressed by him. If you’re going to go 0-for-a-century, he’s a pretty good guy to do it against.

  Mo Respect

  Todd Helton

  The slugging first baseman of the Colorado Rockies faced Rivera once in his career, a ground ball back to the pitcher, leading off the ninth inning of a 2-1 Yankees’ win at Yankee Stadium, on June 8, 2004. It was Rivera’s 307th career save.

  Todd Helton

  Year Date Result

  2004 6/8 Ground out

  A lot of pitchers throw a cutter, but nobody throws one like Rivera’s. His cutter chases you. It’s the nastiest thing I’ve ever seen. You know it’s coming, you adjust for it, and you still can’t hit it. Even when you know what it’s going to do, you can’t make your bat swing.

  Okay, I was 1-for-13. Oh perfect. Geez, that’s better than I thought it was. The hit was early in Mariano’s career, and it didn’t change much after that. Nothing changed much when it comes to Mariano: Same song, same act, same slender dude, taking the mound and throwing the same pitches—the guy is a broken record. Speaking of records, I hate that song “Enter Sandman.”

  Derek Jeter

  Shortstop

  Playing Career

  New York Yankees since 1995

  Career Statistics

  2,602 games, 3,316 hits, 256 home runs, 1,261 runs batted in, .312 batting average, .381 on-base percentage, .446 slugging percentage

  Mo Cred

  Jeter and Rivera have been teammates on the Yankees since 1995 and together helped the team win five World Series championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009.

  HE IS THE greatest closer, no disrespect to anybody else. You know what he’s done in the regular season, and more importantly, what he’s done in the postseason is unmatched. There are a lot of great closers that have played the game—once again, not to be disrespectful—but I would take Mo over everybody.

  You can add up all the players that ever played the game, and Mo has been as consistent as anyone. He’s done it in the regular season, he’s done it in the postseason, he’s done it in spring training, he’s done it in the minor leagues. He’s done it everywhere he’s been.

  It goes without saying what he’s meant to this organization. A lot of people have been spoiled: Yankees fans have been spoiled; baseball fans watching him; us as his teammates. We don’t take him for granted. But I think a lot of people may, because he comes in, they assume [the game is] over. The only time you [in the media] talk to him is when he doesn’t come through. We’ve all been spoiled. People will realize it when he’s no longer here.

  It’s pretty impressive what he’s been able to do. So he deserves all the accolades he gets. He did something no one’s ever been able to do. The impressive thing is he’s done it in the postseason, too. He wants the ball in big situations and [is] not afraid of anyone. He has a lot of confidence in his ability and it shows. That’s what separates him from everyone else. You won’t see anyone like him again.

  First of all, it’s not one pitch. He throws a cutter, he throws a two-seamer, and he throws a four-seamer. It’s one speed in terms of hard, but Mo has perfected the fastball and I’m
not surprised by it. I’ve been playing with him since I’ve been 18 years old and he’s been doing it since then. Nothing he does surprises me.

  We’ve been close for a very, very long time. Our relationship goes beyond just on the field. He’s like a brother. Any time you play with someone that long, there’s a connection there. He’s been the exact same person he was since the first day I met him.

  I think our personalities are similar, that’s why we get along so well. We’re similar in terms of what the goal is—and that’s to win. The goal is to come here every single day and do your job and pretty much stay on an even keel.

  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. It’s impressive. Mo’s been doing this for a long time. He’s doing things that no one’s ever done. And you probably won’t see it again.

  There are so many things that we have been through together. You’re talking about 21 years since the minor leagues. Mo was a starter in the minor leagues. When he was coming off [elbow] surgery [in August of 1992] I used to count his pitches at short [at Class A Greensboro in 1993]. I used to run up there and say, “Look, man, you are wasting too many pitches. You have to start throwing more strikes.”

  He would be on [a short pitch count] when he first was coming back. And this wasn’t the days where they had pitch counts on the scoreboard. So I would count his pitches at short. He would say, “Okay, okay, okay.”

  He worked hard at everything he does, but he worked extremely hard at his rehab, too [from a torn ACL in 2012]. It’s not an easy thing to come back from.

  Mo Respect

  Chipper Jones

  The former switch-hitting third baseman of the Atlanta Braves, who was 1-for-2 with a walk facing Rivera in the regular season, and 0-for-4 with two walks in World Series competition, describes the cutter:

  It’s like a buzz saw. It just eats you up, ­especially if you’re a left-handed hitter. You know it’s ­coming, but that doesn’t really help you much.