Greatest closer of all time

[Dr. Duran Duran]

As much as I love Eck and Hoffman, I have to give the nod to Rivera. He's done it for so long in such a high pressured environment that I have to give him a slight nod over Hoffman. Pitching in New York all these years is easily the largest pressure cooker I can think of, and the guy's turned out a Hall of Fame resume spanning his entire career in NY.

[giants!]

Being a New Yorker, Rivera is an easy choice. He is 8-1 with a 0.81 era and 34 saves in postseason play.

[hwiggen]

My vote goes to Fingers.

[thedude]

Hoyt Wilhelm. Cause he pitched when the game was on the line and for more than one inning. Any idiot with a 93 mph fastball can save 300 games if he is given the chance.

[AgntBK007]

Rivera couldn't pitch 3 innings like Eck could and could never start. It may not be Eck but its not Rivera either.

Rivera came up as a starter, and you've clearly never watched a Yankees post season game in the last 10 years as Rivera regularly goes 2 and sometimes even more innnings per save in the playoffs.

40+ saves and ERAs regularly under 2.00 for over 9 years as a closer in the greatest offensive period in baseball history, in the league with the most powerful lineups, in the division with the toughest lineups, and you've got yourself the best closer of all time. That's before you even consider his postseason numbers, which are absolutely unreal.

[mrg2590]

well were all in the era of rivera, ganye (spelling), and papelbon so we cant really say who the best ever is, although ill have to go with rivera

[Strasil42]

Rivera couldn't pitch 3 innings like Eck could and could never start. It may not be Eck but its not Rivera either.

Rivera came up as a starter, and you've clearly never watched a Yankees post season game in the last 10 years as Rivera regularly goes 2 and sometimes even more innnings per save in the playoffs.
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Yeah, anyone who says that Rivera can't go more than 1 inning, has probably never watched a Yankee game.

His lifetime postseason ERA of 0.81 is the Major League record. From 1998 to 2001, Rivera converted 23 consecutive postseason saves and pitched 34 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason, both Major League records. Rivera's 34 postseason saves are more than twice that of the next person, Dennis Eckersley. The pitchers who rank second through fourth for most postseason saves (Eckersley, Jason Isringhausen, and Robb Nen) have combined for 37 career saves. Rivera has very often been used to record 2-inning saves in the postseason, recording 12 of this variety.

He still goes 2+ innings a lot, even this year. He has more 2+ inning appereance than Papelbon this year(who is one of those starter/closer types you like so much)


As someone else pointed out, this argument is for greatest closer of all time. Not greatest closer/starter combo of all time.

Not a valid point at all.

[gfantasy]

I think you have to ask yourself who you would want to close out your teams game 7 world series game. I think we would all agree that we would want MO there. Even as a Mets fan...you have to give credit where credit is due...

[illmatic00]

In about 10 years it will be Papellbon

[arod77]

Hoffman, Eck and Riveria are the top 3 closers of all time. It seems like all agree on that.

1. In the late 80's/early 90's Eck was unhittable. He has the greatest 5 year stretch for a closer. Look at the numbers, it's not even close.

2. Hoffman - Greatest overall closer, most consistent of all time and most saves.

3. Riveria - Best postseason closer of all time..second to Hoffman in consistency.

They are all great in their own rights, it just depends what you would rather have. The most unhittable closer of all time, the most consistent of all time, or the most clutch of all time?