Mariano Rivera is the first player to enter the Hall of Fame with 100 percent of the votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Babe Ruth didn’t get that kind of support. Neither did Ken Griffey Jr., who had three writers not vote for him.
That’s why fellow 2019 Hall of Fame inductee Edgar Martinez was asked about the former Yankees closer … because he had seemingly no problems facing Rivera during his 18-year career with the Seattle Mariners.
Martinez batted .579/.652/1.053 against the best closer in baseball history over 19 career at-bats. The other 19 Hall of Famers who hit against Rivera combined to bat .