K-ROD ain’t the Sandman. Mo still reigns supreme in NY

[KevinNYYLundqvistFan]

READ BEFORE YOU VOTE
http://zellspinstripeblog.com/2008/12/1 ... big-apple/

The Mets recent transaction to bring in K-Rod was a very smart move. I don’t disagree with that. He was phenomenal last year, but he ain’t better then Rivera. I would take Mariano over Rodriguez any day of the year. Rivera at 39 years-old is still better than K-Rod at 26. Call me crazy but it’s true. Most people just look at saves, and judge how good a closer is by that number. That isn’t how you should judge it though. There are many more factors to take into account then just one stat.

Mariano Rivera had 39 saves last year. K-Rod had 62. Does that necessarily make him better? No. Is it Rivera’s fault that he didn’t get the same amount of opportunities that K-Rod did? I don’t think so. If Rivera got the same amount of opportunities that he got..I’m sure he would be in the same position..if not better. Let’s not forget that he was also on the Angels. The Angels were a better team than the Yankees last year, so he got more opportunities to close out games. Is it Rivera’s fault if they couldn’t get the ball to him?

Let’s just take a closer look into the 2008 Statistics:

Innings:Rivera- 70.2IP Rodriguez- 68.1IP

Hits: Rivera- 41H Rodriguez- 54H

Runs: Rivera- 11R Rodriguez- 21R

Earned Runs: Rivera- 11ER Rodriguez- 17ER

Home Runs: Rivera- 4HR Rodriguez- 4HR

Walks: Rivera- 6BB Rodriguez- 34BB

Strikeouts: Rivera- 77K Rodriguez- 77K

Walks & Hits/9 Innings: Rivera- 0.67WHIP Rodriguez- 1.29WHIP

Walks/9 Innings: Rivera- 0.8BB/9IP Rodriguez- 4.5BB/9IP

Strikeouts/9 Innings: Rivera- 9.8K/9IP Rodriguez- 10.1K/9IP

Blown Saves: Rivera- 1BS Rodriguez- 7BS

Saves: Rivera- 39SV Rodriguez- 62SV

Mariano’s numbers are better overall. His ERA is lower, he gives up less hits, runs, earned runs, & walks. His WHIP is lower. He blew only 1 save, while K-Rod blew 7. Mariano wound up pitching more innings which is funny. That shows that K-Rod was only coming in for an inning or less for the most part. Mariano was coming in during non-save situations as well, and he had to nail down saves while pitching more than one inning many times.

Mariano’s postseason numbers speak for themselves. A postseason ERA of 0.77!K-Rod has a 3.13 ERA in the postseason. I’m not trying to say K-Rod is bad, because that would be dumb…but don’t say he is on Rivera’s level..because he’s not. Nobody is. Mariano is 39 years old, and he has been recording outs with the same pitch for the past 14 years. It’s unbelievable that nobody has figured him out. K-Rod has spent half the time in baseball that Mariano has. The remarkable part about Mo is that he isn’t slowing down. If anything..he might be getting better. I don’t think it’s fair to compare him to the best closer of all-time.

Career Numbers:

Rivera- 1023.7IP (W-L) 68-49 482SV 934K 2.29ERA 1.02WHIP

Rodriguez-451.7IP (W-L) 23-17 208SV 587K 2.35ERA 1.11WHIP

 

[craiger122003]

2 Words SALARY CAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Big Mac McGwire]

ill still take MO. when they are both out of baseball, and the argument is brought up, MO IS THE BEST CLOSER OF ALL TIME. Krods prime will never be that of Mariano. When mo comes in , you get that feeling of ITS OVER, its not like that when krod comes in, i know krod is a very good pitcher, but even at his age mo is still the man.

 

[KandKCards]

Dumb question. First of all, it doesn't matter because the teams don't play each other. Second, even at this point, no one can touch Rivera.

 

[wideright]

I say K-Rod's season was a fluke. No way does he ever do that again. And no, Mariano is better. K-Rod's spastic delivery and overexuberance are not qualities of a long-term closer. Mo's got poise, calmness, power. I hate watching K-Rod pitch.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

i voted for Rivera, sure he stole Wagners entrance music, but hes had a damn good career.

whens Phil Hughes gonna be traded?

 

[KevinNYYLundqvistFan]

i voted for Rivera, sure he stole Wagners entrance music, but hes had a damn good career.

whens Phil Hughes gonna be traded?

haha. you won't give up on that..will you? :lol:

 

[wolfmanalfredo]

Arguably the best closers in the A.L. Rivera & Nathan are on top.

K-rod got an insane amount of save opportunities in 08, and I doubt he'll ever eclipse 35-40 saves again.

Rivera is arguably the best in the MLB

 

[yankees23657]

Watching Rivera coming in for the ninth can send chills down your back. Like someone above said, when you see that he is coming you just know that it is over. I finally had the opportunity to see Rivera pitch in New York last summer and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I have seen him pitch on the road and in spring training, but there is nothing like seeing him live at home. I hope i get the opportunity to see him pitch once again before he retires in the New Yankee stadium.

 

[Bornagaincollector]

Rivera's numbers in the postseason are just plain GREAT!...Best Closer of all-time...He is the main reason why the Yankees won 3 of there 4 championships.

 

[jbone17]

Mo is the best period. If there is any guy that you want standing on that rubber for you in the ninth its him. K-Rod will most likely be injury prone in the next couple years because of the way he throws the ball. That is Mo's music damn it! He made it more famous than Wagner so I dub the music to MO!

 

[Phishmon23]

Bottom line for me, there is NO player I would rather watch than Rivera. I usually only go to 1 or 2 Yankee games a year, and I always hope for a close Yankee win so I can see Rivera pitch!

-Jason

 

[sheetskout]

If you're going to take a poll, try not using a totally biased header statement or title.

 

[braden]

If anyone takes the time to look at the stats any deeper than Saves, it doesn't take long to realize that KRod isn't that special. He's a damn good pitcher, but there are at least 4-5 closers I'd rather have.

 

[beefycheddar]

Both of them got the blown save in games that probably rank in my top 10 favorite games ever.

 

[KevinNYYLundqvistFan]

If you're going to take a poll, try not using a totally biased header statement or title.

I'm just stating the facts. Mo's numbers..besides the amount of saves are much better than K-Rod's. The postseason stat comparison shifts to Rivera as well.

 

[thenumberonemetfan]

If you're going to take a poll, try not using a totally biased header statement or title.

I'm just stating the facts. Mo's numbers..besides the amount of saves are much better than K-Rod's. The postseason stat comparison shifts to Rivera as well.

so why start the topic.

 

[starwarsfan2003]

As a Met fan, Im extremely excited we got K-Rod. ANYONE BESIDES WAGNER. Is he better than Mo, no. I mean in the 90's, you would see opponents faces just go slack when he would come onto the field, because you knew the game was over. Mo Rivera is HOF candidate no doubt, K-Rod still needs to prove himself a bit more. But in conclusion, I think this will definitely add some consistency to my team, we had that black cloud over us come the 9th, and I think now we can only do better with the K man. My vote is for Mo.

PS Cant forget the Putz man too.

 

[ostrander111]

Enter Sandman

 

[imac220]

Now coming into the game the closer, Mariano Rivera