(In addition to appearing at The Captain’s Blog, this post is also being syndicated at TheYankeeAnalysts.)
Mariano Rivera’s accomplishments can’t be overstated. But, what can we say about his failures?
Mariano Rivera has seldom had reason to hang his head during his illustrious career.
Over 17 seasons, the reliever has consistently dominated the opposition, compiling an astounding ERA+ of 205, which is the highest total by any pitcher throwing over 1,000 innings. Incredibly, he has been even better in the post season, where his 0.71 ERA in 139 2/3 innings is without compare. In other words, Rivera’s superhuman reputation is certainly well deserved.
Because there are so many ways to trumpet Rivera’s successes, it’s easy to take him for granted. That’s why it’s still a shock when the Yankees’ closer blows a save. Even at the age of 41, Rivera still portrays an air of perfection, so those startling glimpses of his mortality can often be unsettling.
Despite the considerable amount of evidence suggesting otherwise, Rivera is a human being. After all, he has blown 68 regular season saves in his career. However, even in his failures, the future Hall of Famer has managed to stand out.
Picking Up the Pieces: Top Closers Performance In Blown Saves
| Player | W | L | W-L% | ERA | IP | WHIP |
| Mariano Rivera | 17 | 22 | 0.436 | 11.01 | 85 | 2.44 |
| John Franco | 23 | 37 | 0.383 | 9.99 | 121.2 | 2.67 |
| Dennis Eckersley | 15 | 25 | 0.375 | 12.01 | 81.2 | 2.28 |
| Rollie Fingers | 26 | 45 | 0.366 | 7.45 | 206.2 | 1.97 |
| Jeff Reardon | 18 | 33 | 0.353 | 11.96 | 122.2 | 2.5 |
| Billy Wagner | 11 | 21 | 0.344 | 12.68 | 71 | 2.61 |
| Lee Smith | 20 | 39 | 0.339 | 11.89 | 125.2 | 2.75 |
| Randy Myers | 11 | 26 | 0.297 | 12.34 | 73.2 |
2.84
|
| Trevor Hoffman | 12 | 31 | 0.279 | 17.29 | 76 | 2.92 |
| Troy Percival | 9 | 25 | 0.265 | 19.97 | 48.2 |
3.49
|
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Rivera’s ability to regroup after giving up a lead is another tribute to his reliability as a closer. Compared to the other relievers who rank among the top-10 leaders in saves, Rivera heads the list in terms of winning percentage after blowing a save. The Yankees’ closer has also been relatively proficient in avoiding the walk off. On only 19 of 837 games finished has Rivera had to take a long, lonely walk from the mound while the opposition circled the bases. Among the all-time saves leaders, only Billy Wagner has been better at avoided such ignominy.
Walk of Shame
| Player | Walk Offs | GF | % | SV | BS | % |
| Billy Wagner | 13 | 703 | 1.8% | 422 | 69 | 85.9% |
| Mariano Rivera | 19 | 837 | 2.2% | 566 | 68 | 89.3% |
| Troy Percival | 15 | 546 | 2.7% | 358 | 57 | 86.3% |
| Dennis Eckersley | 16 | 577 | 2.7% | 390 | 71 | 84.6% |
| Trevor Hoffman | 30 | 856 | 3.4% | 601 | 76 | 88.8% |
| Lee Smith | 29 | 803 | 3.5% | 478 | 103 | 82.3% |
| Jeff Reardon | 27 | 695 | 3.7% | 367 | 106 | 77.6% |
| John Franco | 36 | 774 | 4.4% | 424 | 101 | 80.8% |
| Randy Myers | 32 | 548 | 5.5% | 347 | 61 | 85.0% |
| Rollie Fingers | 46 | 709 | 6.1% | 341 | 109 | 75.8% |
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Breakdown of Rivera’s Walk Offs
| Opposing Batters | Team | Date | Outcome |
| Keith Lockhart | KC | 8/2/1996 | Double |
| Moises Alou | FLA | 6/15/1997 | E-4 |
| Matt Franco | NYM | 7/10/1999 | Single |
| Jose Valentin | CHW | 6/23/2000 | Single |
|
Robert Fick
|
DET | 6/27/2000 | FC |
| Manny Ramirez | BOS | 4/13/2001 | Single |
| Jerry Hairston | BAL | 9/21/2001 | Single |
|
Bill Selby
|
CLE | 7/14/2002 | Grand Slam |
| Miguel Tejada | OAK | 8/23/2003 | Double |
| Bill Mueller | BOS | 7/24/2004 | HR |
| Justin Morneau | MIN | 4/15/2006 | Single |
| David Wright | NYM | 5/19/2006 | Single |
| Vernon Wells | TOR | 7/20/2006 | HR |
| Marco Scutaro | OAK | 4/15/2007 | HR |
| Gabe Gross | TBR | 5/13/2008 | Single |
| Chone Figgins | LAA | 8/10/2008 | Single |
| Ichiro Suzuki | SEA | 9/18/2009 | HR |
| David Murphy | TEX | 8/10/2010 | Single |
| Jeff Francoeur | TEX | 9/11/2010 | HBP |
Source: Baseball-reference.com
In the 68 games in which he has blown a save, Rivera has allowed two or fewer runs in 59 (including eight blown saves with no runs allowed), which helps explain why the Yankees have been able to come back and win so many. It’s also worth noting that the four hits off Rivera in yesterday’s game were the second most he has ever surrendered. On three other occasions, Rivera allowed five hits in an appearance (including one two inning stint), but never more than that.
Games in Which Rivera Has Surrendered More than Three Runs
| Date | Opp | Rslt | IP | H | R | ER | Pit |
| 7/14/2002 | CLE | L 7-10 | 2/3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 32 |
| 4/6/2005 | BOS | L 3-7 | 2/3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 38 |
| 8/2/1996 | KCR | L 3-4 | 2/3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 28 |
| 7/16/1999 | ATL | L 7-10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 19 |
Source: Baseball-reference.com
April has historically been Rivera’s “weakest” month, so yesterday’s bump in the road fits nicely with that pattern. However, heading into the game, Mariano had only blown one save in 24 attempts at SkyDome. Despite the set back, his conversion rate of 92.3% in Toronto is still one of his highest on the road. Listed below is a further breakdown of Rivera’s blown saves, based on both opponent and month.
Mariano Rivera’s Save Percentage By Month
| Month | Sv | BS | % | Walk offs |
| March/April | 81 | 16 | 83.5% | 7 |
| May | 94 | 5 | 94.9% | 2 |
| June | 109 | 9 | 92.4% | 3 |
| July | 96 | 11 | 89.7% | 9 |
| August | 104 | 18 | 85.2% | 6 |
| September/October | 82 | 9 | 90.1% | 5 |
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Mariano Rivera’s Save Percentage Versus Opponent
| American League | National League | |||||||
| Team | Sv | BS | % | Team | Sv | BS | % | |
| TBD | 57 | 1 | 98.3% | PHI | 5 | 0 | 100% | |
| KCR | 32 | 2 | 94.1% | CHC | 3 | 0 | 100% | |
| SEA | 32 | 2 | 94.1% | HOU | 3 | 0 | 100% | |
| CHW | 39 | 3 | 92.9% | SD | 3 | 0 | 100% | |
| BAL | 66 | 6 | 91.7% | STL | 3 | 0 | 100% | |
| CLE | 29 | 3 | 90.6% | ARI | 2 | 0 | 100% | |
| DET | 29 | 3 | 90.6% | SF | 2 | 0 | 100% | |
| MIN | 30 | 4 | 88.2% | CIN | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
| TEX | 36 | 5 | 87.8% | LAD | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
| TOR | 43 | 6 | 87.8% | NYM | 20 | 1 | 95.2% | |
| OAK | 33 | 5 | 86.8% | ATL | 8 | 1 | 88.9% | |
| BOS | 51 | 13 | 79.7% | FLA | 6 | 2 | 75.0% | |
| ANA | 23 | 8 | 74.2% | MIL | 3 | 1 | 75.0% | |
| MON/WSN | 4 | 2 | 66.7% | |||||
| PIT | 0 | 0 | NA | |||||
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Mariano Rivera’s Save Percentage in Road Ballparks
| American League | National League | |||||||
| Team | Sv | BS | % | Team | Sv | BS | % | |
| TBD | 33 | 1 | 97.1% | ATL | 5 | 0 | 100% | |
| TOR | 24 | 2 | 92.3% | PHI | 3 | 0 | 100% | |
| CHW | 20 | 2 | 90.9% | ARI | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
| BAL | 37 | 4 | 90.2% | CHC | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
| SEA | 17 | 2 | 89.5% | LAD | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
| TEX | 17 | 2 | 89.5% | SF | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
| CLE | 16 | 2 | 88.9% | STL | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
| KCR | 14 | 2 | 87.5% | NYM | 12 | 1 | 92.3% | |
| MIN | 16 | 3 | 84.2% | FLA | 3 | 2 | 60.0% | |
| BOS | 31 | 7 | 81.6% | MON/WSN | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | |
| ANA | 13 | 3 | 81.3% | CIN | 0 | 0 | NA | |
| OAK | 17 | 4 | 81.0% | HOU | 0 | 0 | NA | |
| DET | 8 | 2 | 80.0% | MIL | 0 | 0 | NA | |
| PIT | 0 | 0 | NA | |||||
| SD | 0 | 0 | NA | |||||
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Failure often puts success in its proper perspective. For many, it can serve as a reality check, but for the truly great ones, it almost serves as the exception that proves the rule. Such is the case for Mariano, who, even when he falls, still seems to rise above all others.
Very interesting and thorough, well-done. Did you happen to look at how Mo compares to contemporaries who may have been considered “better” by some — Rodriguez, Papelbon, Lidge, Soria, Nathan, etc.?
Thanks. I drew the line at the top-10 because a lot of the data compilation was manual. Might be worth a followup at some point.
Great job here! I had never read such a thorough breakdown of “the life and times” of the oh-so-great Mo… Thanks!