Knuckle Curve » mariano rivera

Mariano Rivera Gets 500th Save

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:45:07 +0000

Getting the last four outs against the New York Mets, Mariano Rivera got the 500th save of his Hall of Fame career. His save capped a 4-2 win by the New York Yankees and improved the team’s record to 43-32.

Rivera is currently second on the all-time saves record list. Only Trevor Hoffman has more. Hoffman, who is currently with the Milwaukee Brewers, has 571 saves.

On the season, Rivera has a 2.93 ERA and has 18 saves in 19 save opportunities. In 30.2 innings, he has 39 strikeouts and only three walks. Even at 39, Rivera appears to be near the top of his game.

Rivera had another milestone on Sunday night. In the top of the ninth inning, Rivera drew a bases loaded walk to pick up the first RBI of his big league career.

Picking up the win for the Yankees was Chien-Ming Wang. In 5.1 innings, he gave up only two earned runs. The native of Taiwan has struggled mightily this season. The win improved his record to 1-6 and lowered his ERA to 10.06.

For the Mets, this is their third straight loss and they now stand at 37-37 on the season.

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Mariano Rivera Video – Getting Dirt from Mound

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:00:03 +0000

An unintentionally hilarious video ensued at the last game played at Yankee Stadium. Mariano Rivera, who is undoubtedly the best closer in New York Yankees history (and baseball history, for that matter), went to get some dirt off of the pitchers mound. For some reason, every photographer in a 200 mile radius of New York City descended onto Rivera to watch him.

You can watch the video at the end of the entry to see just how funny it turned out to be. You’d think Rivera was doing something substantial — but he’s actually just putting dirt into a cup. I’d hate to see what would happen if Rivera would have gone for some blades of grass.

Here is the video of Mariano Rivera putting dirt into a cup and somehow enchanting about 2,500 photographers:

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Midseason Baseball Awards 2008 – MLB Awards

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:14:39 +0000

AL MVP – Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley are playing very well for the Rangers. However, I believe that it is Hamilton who is the backbone of that team’s lineup. Take him away and the Rangers wouldn’t be nearly as deadly.

NL MVP – Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Sure, the Astros are a bad team and chances are slim that they will make the playoffs. That said, Berkman is having a career year and is the best hitter in the NL to date this season.

AL Cy Young – Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
Mariano Rivera might be having his best season in his career but Lee has been amazing. His 12-2 record is very impressive, as is his 2.31 ERA. Lee was nothing special until this year but now the Cleveland ace is making a name for himself.

NL Cy Young – Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds
Josh Hamilton is playing amazing baseball for the Texas Rangers, however the Reds have to be happy with their offseason move. The Reds got Volquez from the Rangers and he has consistently been the best pitcher in the NL this season.

AL Rookie of the Year – Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
One day soon, Evan Longoria might become more famous than Eva Longoria. He’s the clear cut rookie of the year in the AL — and it’s not even close. He has exceeded all the hype he had coming into the season.

NL Rookie of the Year – Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
A lot of players on the Cubs are getting notoriety this season but one can argue that Soto is the most valuable player on Chicago’s roster. He has stepped in as a rookie and is playing great baseball.

Is Geovany Soto the best player on the Cubs?

Photo: Newscom

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Perfect Closers – No Earned Runs in 2008

Stephen Kersey — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:10:34 +0000

Which closers have been perfect so far this season? Let’s take a look at the closer who currently have a 0.00 ERA.

CJ Wilson, Texas Rangers
CJ Wilson has five saves, eight innings pitched and a perfect ERA. While the rest of the bullpen hasn’t been great for the Rangers, Wilson has been lights out.

Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins
The Twins have gotten great pitching out of their closer this year. Joe Nathan has six saves and has pitched seven shutout innings.

Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
The Royals have gotten great pitching from a number of their starters. Joakim Soria is also providing great pitching. Five saves, seven innings, ten strikeouts and a 0.29 WHIP.

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
With 6.1 innings pitched and five saves, Mariano Rivera is pitching extremely well. He got off to a slow start last year so this start has to make Yankees fans happy.

Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies
While he only has two saves, Brad Lidge is off to a solid start. He has a 0.00 ERA in six innings.

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Fast Starting Pitchers

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:02:27 +0000

Zack Greinke and Brian Bannister, Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals in recent years have already been eliminated from the playoffs at this point in the season. However this year, the Royals actually find themselves over .500. Why? Look no further than the pitching of Zack Greinke and Brian Bannister. These two pitchers have 0.75 and 0.86 earn run averages, respectively.

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
After a solid season last year, many thought Cole Hamels would be better this season. But this better? Hamels has a 0.82 ERA and has given up only 11 hits in 22 innings. At the age of 24, Hamels is quickly becoming one of the best pitchers in the game.

Ben Sheets, Milwaukee Brewers
Ben Sheets has been good for a long time now. This year, he’s pitching even better than ever. Sheets has authored a 1.17 ERA and a record of 2-0. He’s on pace for yet another great season.

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
While he’s no youngster, Mariano Rivera is proving that old guys can pitch, too. At 38-years-old, Rivera has been dominant to begin the season. He has five saves, a 0.00 ERA, seven strikeout and no walks in six innings. After a relatively shaky season last year, Rivera is showing he still has some gas left in the tank.

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A’s Sign Foulke

Geoff Young — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 01:04:36 +0000

Looks like Keith Foulke is coming out of retirement. The Oakland A’s have signed the veteran right-hander to a 1-year deal worth $700,000 plus incentives that could kick the total value up to $3.2 million.

Reports have Foulke’s fastball in the mid-’80s, but he’s never been a flamethrower, so that shouldn’t be an issue. More importantly, he’s drawing praise for his command and deception, two elements crucial to his success.

Foulke last pitched in the big leagues in 2006 for the Boston Red Sox, but the last time he was more than marginally effective came in 2004. From 1999 to 2004, Foulke posted an ERA+ of 195, second only to the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera (207) among relievers who worked 400 or more innings over that period.

At 35 years old, and having missed an entire season, Foulke is something of an unknown quantity. Still, he’s enjoyed success in the past and the A’s didn’t invest a lot in him. This seems like a smart, under-the-radar signing that could pay surprising dividends. If not, no harm done.

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