TAMPA, Fla. – Braves catcher Gerald Laird played nine of the past 10 seasons in the American League, and has a brother who spent most of the past five years in the Yankees organization. So Laird has a pretty good perspective on Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who on Saturday officially announced he'll retire after the 2013 season.
He’s not just the greatest closer Laird has seen, but one of the classiest players he’s encountered.
“Oh, without a doubt,” Laird said. “Just having the opportunity to play against him and face him. The most amazing part is he’s been so great for so long with just one pitch (cut fastball). You know it’s coming, but just how devastating that pitch is – that’s what puts him above everyone else at that position. You know the pitch that’s coming and you still can’t hit it.”
Rivera, 43, announced his retirement at a 10 a.m. news conference at George Steinbrenner Field, three hours before the Braves’ 2-1 win against the Yankees. He made his spring training debut with a perfect fifth inning against the Braves, getting Dan Uggla to pop out before striking out Juan Francisco and Chris Johnson, each looking at the third strike.
Rivera tore a knee ligament and May and missed the rest of the 2012 season, and enters his final season with a major league-record 608 saves, 1,119 strikeouts in 1,219-2/3 innings, and a stunning 0.998 WHIP (walks-plus-hits per inning pitched).
Rivera also has a record 42 postseason saves and 0.70 ERA in 141 postseason innings, and notched two saves and a win in three appearances in the Yankees’ 1999 World Series win over the Braves.
“To be as successful and have the postseason numbers that he has, it just speaks volumes – it’s remarkable,” said Laird, who is 0-for-5 with a walk and three strikeouts against Rivera. “It’s been awesome watching him. I don’t think you’re going to see a closer of his dominance for a long time.”
Rivera was able to dominate and overwhelm opponents for nearly two decades without making enemies — on or off the field.
“That’s one thing you can say about him and (Yankees shortstop Derek) Jeter,” said Laird, whose brother, Brandon, is a corner infielder who reached the major leagues with the Yankees in 2011. “In one of, if not the biggest market in sports, you never here anything bad about them. Him and Jeter have just done it the right way. The way they go about their business on the field — they’re both great, they’ve both going to the Hall of Fame, and there’s no negative press about them.
“(Rivera) is a great veteran over there. My brother has told me how great he is in the clubhouse, how he treats the young guys. The game is going to miss players like that.”
