Second pitcher records 600 career saves
by jbox on Sep 14, 2011 11:14 AM PDT
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PrintTrevor Hoffman was the first pitcher to ever record 600 saves in his career and by doing so became the greatest closer ever in the history (and future) of baseball.
Best closer ever? Try Trevor Hoffman
"And I know, baseball fans -- baseball broadcasters -- we love to argue. So we argue, who's better? Who's the best? But there is no argument," Leitner said. "This is not a Padre broadcast bias. It's not a Padre fan bias. We know this. The only true measure of a closer is how many saves did you get. So today, without any fear of argument, I tell you that, today, the San Diego Padres retire the number of truly -- by that benchmark, the only benchmark -- the greatest closer in the history of Major League Baseball."
Another pitcher accomplished the same feat last night, but he did it second. There was no celebration for him and for good reason. No one cares.
Think about it this way. Everybody knows Roger Bannister was the first to break the 4 minute mile. They know Chuck Yeager was the first to break the sound barrier. They know Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to summit Mt. Everest. Few know the names of the countless others who have achieved these feats since.
I think Tenzing Norgay, Sir Edmund Hillary's sherpa, said it best:
"If it is a shame to be the second man on Mount Everest, then I will have to live with this shame."
Similarly, it appears that Mariano Rivera will have to live with the same shame.
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Suck it, Rivera!
"follow @radio2012, trust me, you will find his optimism, innocence, and honesty quite refreshing. as a jaded bastard, i sure do." justdave2103
http://twitter.com/#!/radio2012
by Jonathan Holmes on Sep 14, 2011 11:20 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
mariano rivera is probably one of the least hateable guys in the MLB
but yes, suck it
by iheartyourfart on Sep 14, 2011 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
the true measure is save percentage
They are nearly identical. If rivera is better than Hoffman, it is minuscule.
I was wondering about that
I was also wondering, during their careers, who saved a higher percentage of their team’s wins? If I’m not mistaken, Mariano reached 600 in fewer seasons, probably because he’s had more chances than Trevor did.
Where Mariano will always get the nod is the postseason. But I agree on the importance of save percentage, since a closer has no control over whether or not he’s getting into the game. But you don’t get to 600 without being very good for a very long time, and that’s a credit to both men.
25 years as a baseball fan and I'm still confused by the infield fly rule
well
Hoffman has 601 saves out of 677 (88.77400%)
Rivera has 600 saves out of 672 (89.28571%)
difference of 0.51171%
for comparison:
Dennis Eckersley is ~85%
Lee Smith is ~82%
Rollie Fingers is ~76%
by kevintheoman on Sep 14, 2011 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Of course, talking about postseason stats is meaningless.
Trevor had a whopping 12 postseason games, from which we can discern absolutely nothing.
by Darklighter on Sep 14, 2011 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
They're both Hall of Famers
but we like Hoffman because he was a Padre. If the teams were reversed and Rivera was a Padre I’m pretty sure the sentiment would be opposite.
A 2-inning Save is the same
as a two-out Save?
Not in my book
On the very next play Venable soiled the sheets again
I bet it doesn't even matter...
There’s very likely a baseball player on some other planet who’s already notched like a billion saves in his career, which easily easily dwarfs Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.
yeah but you have to adjust the numbers
for the difference in gravity
by kevintheoman on Sep 14, 2011 12:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Like a sherpa carrying Hillary's equipment up Everest
Rivera will have to carry Hoffman’s jock into the Hall of Fame.
by jbox on Sep 14, 2011 1:01 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
People celebrated when man first stepped foot on the moon
And that’s about as away from home as one can conceivably get.
Actually, when Leitner made his (predictably) hyperbolic statement,
the NY blogs were mostly sedate with a general attitude of “Let Hoffman have his day”, which surprised me.
I still cringe when I read Leitner's comment
On the very next play Venable soiled the sheets again
It's very possible Rivera could make it to 650
5-10 more this season, 40+ next season…it definitely could happen.
Personally, I think Mo is/was the better closer for two reasons. Firstly, the “killer pitch” Hoffman’s change-up, which certainly is was a great pitch. However, the change is just a slower pitch (which threw off the batter). Mo’s cut fastball had movement, it had some speed to it. And in a pinch, it often moved into a lefthanded hitter when the swung so that they could never make very good contact with it. They got jammed. And to righties it was almost a sort of power slider that was hard to detect where the pitch was going to break. I think that gives it an edge.
Secondly, playoff records. We don’t need to talk about this any more because I don’t want to think about it right now, but we have to grumblingly agree with it. (Fucking Padres and their questionable GM decisions/shit payroll. _)
To recap, both are definitely HoF pitchers, I just think that at times we love Trevor too much to realize that there were other really, really good closers out there at the same time.
Is...is this article for real?
I can’t tell if this is for real.
I know where I come from, and when you always have in mind where you come from the rest will be easy. I think the rest will be easy.
-- M. Rivera
For one day
we are pretending that Hoffman is as good as Rivera. No need to be alarmed.
On the very next play Venable soiled the sheets again
What's not to believe?
It’s not like the Yankees have a fan base outside of greater Manhattan. They’re never on TV. Up until recently, I don’t think anyone had even written more than 300 words on Mariano Riveria except for maybe Peter Gammons.
Given a choice between Rivera and Trevor
I’m taking Rivera every time.
On the very next play Venable soiled the sheets again
Fuck you.
Suck on a turd like a dick.
www.FriarsOnCardboard.blogspot.com
"jbox does not drink coffee, as it makes him clean house big time." ~Kev
by TheThinGwynn on Sep 25, 2011 2:29 AM PDT up reply actions
It is so totes for real...
The only reasonable recourse you have is to get really, really mad about this insignificant non-event, and spend like three hours forming and typing a rebuttal that clearly proves everything in this post a fallacy.
Could I just fume in silence and eat my weight in cookie dough?
I know where I come from, and when you always have in mind where you come from the rest will be easy. I think the rest will be easy.
-- M. Rivera
I suppose.
But then everyone else misses out on the spectacle of the melt down.
You know what, just do you what comes naturally.
Mo is awesome...
but Trevor had the song and the flames…
On the other hand, you have different fingers.
True
Hoffman was the first to 600, he was even the first to get 601, but he will not be the first to get to 602
by Guess Who's Back? on Sep 17, 2011 8:42 PM PDT reply actions
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