From the archives: Rivera passes Righetti, sets saves mark despite shaky outing

This story was originally published in Newsday on May 10, 2002

Even in his best days, Orlando Hernandez has been unpredictable, while Mariano Rivera's predictability has made him a wealthy man. Last night, the two men switched the way they go about their business.

El Duque shut down the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for most of last night before tiring and handing the ball to Rivera, who survived a shaky eighth inning before an easier ninth. Rivera managed to close out the 3-1 victory for a three-game series sweep. It was the Devil Rays' 14th straight loss and another mark in the Yankees' history book.

The save, Rivera's 10th of the season, was the 225th of his career. It broke a tie with Dave Righetti on the Yankees' all-time list. Yet the twisted path to the save left everyone wondering once again: Is he all right?

"I was rushing. I was jumping," Rivera said. "I was better in the ninth inning." Said manager Joe Torre: "He's been so good for so long, and so perfect, that even in a save, you question how good he is. That's tough, to live up to yourself."

Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi each hit solo home runs for the Yankees, who got the sweep in front of George Steinbrenner in his home town. The Yankees also held serve against the Red Sox, who won again to maintain their five-game lead in the American League East.

El Duque continued his remarkable rebirth, allowing just one hit and one run over 7 2/3 innings to lift his record to 4-1 and lower his AL-leading ERA to 2.13. He outpitched game Tampa Bay lefthander Joe Kennedy, who struck out 10 Yankees in seven innings.

Hernandez escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the first inning and proceeded to retire 18 of the next 19 batters through the seventh inning.

Jeter broke the scoreless game with his homer to right leading off the fourth. Giambi made it 2-0 in the seventh by pulling his homer to right.

Tranquility reigned for the Yankees until the eighth. A walk to Chris Gomez preceded the first two outs. Struggling slugger Greg Vaughn was sent up to pinch hit and Hernandez threw a pitch inside that Vaughn contended hit him. Home plate umpire Jerry Meals thought the ball hit Vaughn's bat, but when the .107-hitting Vaughn pointed out the impression made by the baseball's stitching on his left hand, he was awarded first.

Torre began warming Steve Karsay and Mike Stanton after the leadoff walk, but with two outs, "It becomes Mo's game," the manager said. Lefty punch-hitter Randy Winn was due up.

Rivera threw a cutter that didn't cut, and Winn ripped a double down the first-base line, past a diving Giambi, to score Gomez and send the slow-footed Vaughn to third. Rivera walked Steve Cox to load the bases.

After a visit by Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, Ben Grieve grounded out to end the inning. The Yankees added an insurance run in the ninth and Rivera needed four batters to finish the ninth.

"He deserves every record that he can accrue," Torre said of Rivera. "He's the best that I've ever seen."

"It feels good," Rivera said of the record. "But this game was big for us...It was important to win."

Rivera is now 10-for-12 in save opportunities with a 2.51 ERA, yet as Torre noted, many of his successes have been littered with anxiety. To him, though, a save is a save.

"I never said that I am the best," he said with a smile. "I just try to do my job." INSIDE GAME 35 RECORD:21-14 . . . . . LAST SEASON: 20-15 PLUS:Devil Rays leftfielder Jason Tyner leapt near the top of the wall in the second inning to catch a Shane Spencer blast, robbing him of an extra-base hit.

MINUS: Spencer hit the ball well against Joe Kennedy in his first at-bat, but he went 0-for-3 against him. It marked the first time in six starts, since Joe Torre instituted his rightfield platoon, that Spencer went hitless against a lefthanded starter. Finishing Touch

The top five all-time Yankees saves leaders:

Pitcher Total

Mariano Rivera 225

Dave Righetti 224

Rich Gossage 151

Sparky Lyle 141