• Rivera, a five-time World Series champion with the Yankees, is baseball's all-time leader in saves (635) and games finished (926).
Chart: Mariano Rivera, history's greatest reliever
July 3, 2013 at 4:46AM
• The 43-year-old wasn't always a reliever. He's a converted shortstop who didn't make his major league debut until he was 25, then developed an outstanding cut fastball that is his trademark pitch.
• Rivera's 2.20 ERA entering Tuesday was 13th best in history, and his career WHIP (walks and hits per nine innings) of 1.003 was the best in baseball since 1920.
• In 12 postseason appearances vs. the Twins, the 12-time All-Star has not given up a run. During the regular season, he has 55 appearances against the Twins with 34 saves and four blown saves.
• Rivera had a record streak of 51 converted save opportunities at home end on May 16, 2010, when Jason Kubel hit a two-out grand slam off him in the eighth for a 6-3 Twins victory.
• Despite his continued success, Rivera says retirement after this season "is definite. No question about it."
about the writer
Emmanuel Rodriguez had an abbreviated season after being hit by the injury bug, but he showed promise as a disciplined hitter.
