The 5 Top Closers In Yankees History

Mariano Rivera waited as his buddies Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte emerged from the Yankee dugout and headed toward the mound. It was the end of the glorious career for the greatest reliever in baseball history. And as Jeter and Pettitte approached, as nearly two decades of memories streaked through his mind, he knew he had given his all.

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¨I have nothing to ask for, thanks to God. Everything I have, God has given me, Mariano said according to BrainyQuote.com.

So after five Rolaids Relief Man Awards, three Delivery Man of The Year Awards and 652 saves, he finally has time to reflect on it all. And as he relaxes in his native Panama, he is pleased that he didn´t let the final destination stop him from enjoying the ride.

But it is not his past that preoccupies him, as much as his future. Ironically, in a sense, his past now becomes his future. Unlike some, he refuses to forget his roots. He grew up in Puerto Caimito, where his family survived on the earnings of his father, Mariano Sr., who struggled to support them as a fishing boat captain.

Yet the scarcity of money never prevented the young Mariano from finding a way to play baseball. He and his friends constructed baseball gloves from milk cartons and bats from tree branches. Baseballs were woven from old fishing nets. It wasn´t much, but it was a way to play the game.

This is the memory he carried with him throughout his career, and it is a major factor that has fueled his desire to help his country and its youth. His retirement has only accelerated that goal.

But when it comes to Yankees history, Mariano knows that as well as anyone. He is well aware that from 1978 through 1983, Rich ¨Goose¨Gossage commanded much of the same respect that he himself received. But Gossage, like Mariano, had his own style. He did it with a mean stare that rattled hitters, and with a blazing fastball. For his career, Gossage had 310 saves and 1,502 strike outs. But that only begins to tell the story of his dominance.

During that same period, his ERA never rose higher than 2.62. He led the American League in saves three times and finished in second place twice. Many consider 1981 as his best season, when he finished at 0.77. He led all relievers in all-star appearances with eight, until Mariano broke that record in 2008.

Gossage is perhaps remembered most for his save in the 1978 one-game playoff with the Red Sox. With the help of the Ron Guidry slider, and a dramatic home run by Bucky Dent, the Yankees had built a lead going into the bottom of the ninth.

That is when Carl Yastrzemski came to bat with an opportunity to win it for Boston. In one of the most dramatic battles in MLB history, Gossage got Yaz to pop out to Graig Nettles at third. Of course, the Yankees then went on to defeat the Dodgers to secure back to back World Series wins.

And as Mariano relects on great Yankees closers, he certainly remembers the legacy of Dave Righetti. When Righetti was moved out of the starting rotation to take over as the Yankees closer, the move did not set well with many Yankees fans.

But seven years later, the change was considered one of pure genius. Although his 32 saves per year average might not seem spectacular by today´s standards, it was impressive in an era when bullpens were not depended on the way they are today. In fact, Righetti eclipsed the Major League saves record of Dan Quisenberry and Bruce Sutter, with 46 saves in 1986. That still remains the best of any American League lefthander.

And Righetti finished the season in style, saving both games of a double header against the Red Sox on October 4. He followed that with another dominant season in 1987. These combined to earn him all-star honors in both seasons.

With his exceptional pickoff move and acute concentration, many Yankee fans have compared Righetti to Andy Pettitte. Both had the ability to rise to the occasion with big performances in big games. Both also had a competitive nature that made them thrive in pressure situations.

But of all the Yankees closers, Mariano knows well that the one who had the most profound effect on his own career was undoubtedly John Wetteland. While Wetteland´s Yankee service was brief, his results were tremendous. In particular, his 1996 season was arguably equal to any of Mariano´s. The accolades included leading the American League with 43 saves and an all-star appearance.

Perhaps even more impressive was Wetteland´s postseason performance. He saved all four Yankees victories as they beat the Braves in six games. This, combined with a dramatic home run by Jim Leyritz, were the most memorable moments of the series. Wetteland also set the overall record that year with seven saves in one postseason. All of this resulted in his selections as the World Series MVP and as the Rolaids Relief Man Award winner.

The Yankees had to be thinking, this is as good as a closer could possibly get. But they were to soon discover that it wasn´t. Wetteland´s biggest contribution to the Yankees turned out to have nothing to do with his numbers. It was his tutelage of Mariano, his setup man. He taught Mo how to prepare himself and ways of handling pressure.

So after the ´96 season, Wetteland moved on and Mariano stepped up to claim the closer role. The next 17 years showed that this was a pivotal point in Yankees history. So now, Yankees fans can not help but wonder, as David Robertson departs and Dellin Betances potentially moves in as the closer, will history repeat itself?

And as he looks back, Mariano can acknowledge that the Golden Age of Yankees closers was actually begun in 1972, when the Yankees traded Danny Cater and a player to be named to get Sparky Lyle. Like Righetti, Lyle was a left hander. Sparky was an integral part of the Yankees powerful teams from 1976 until 1978. Also, like Righetti, Lyle set the American League lefty save record with 35 in 1972. No American League lefthander had ever amassed 100 career saves until Sparky did it in that same year.Yankees fans marveled at his stamina, because it seemed as if he appeared almost every day. Lyle was so valuable to the Yanks, that he claimed third place in the MVP voting. In 1977, he topped even that by winning the Cy Young Award.

So there you have it, the Yanks Go Yard Top 5 closers in Yankees history. While some Yankees positions have seen their ups and downs through the years, high-level closers have been a constant for the past half century. And as the torch was passed from one to the next, the Yankees moved on to a new dynasty.

And that is another thing Mariano knows very well.

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