Joe Torre has made no secret that without Mariano Rivera, he may not have made it into the Hall of Fame.
“You can’t freeze the ball, so you’ve got to have someone who can finish the game,” Torre said of his closer. “And no one was better at it, especially when it mattered most, than Mariano.”
And for that reason, the former Yankees manager was pleased to see Rivera’s name on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time after retiring with the most career saves (652) and best playoff ERA (0.70) in history. He’ll look to become just the seventh relief pitcher to be enshrined, joining Hoyt Wilhelm, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Trevor Hoffman and Goose Gossage.