Joe Torre has made no secret that without Mariano Rivera, he may not have made it into the Hall of Fame.
“You can’t freeze the ball, so you’ve got to have someone who can finish the game,” Torre said of his closer. “And no one was better at it, especially when it mattered most, than Mariano.”
And for that reason, the former Yankees manager was pleased to see Rivera’s name on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time after retiring with the most career saves (652) and best playoff ERA (0.70) in history. He’ll look to become just the seventh relief pitcher to be enshrined, joining Hoyt Wilhelm, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Trevor Hoffman and Goose Gossage. Only Eckersley, who was also a successful starter, made it on his initial appearance on the ballot.
Rivera is one of 20 first-time candidates on this year’s ballot, along with Andy Pettitte. George Steinbrenner is also up for induction.
While Rivera is virtually assured of enshrinement, Pettitte’s case is more complicated. Like Rivera, Pettitte was a part of five World Series-winning teams in the Bronx, but his career was tainted by his admission of using human growth hormones.
Still, the left-hander won 256 games in 18 seasons and went 19-11 with a 3.81 ERA in 44 playoff starts.
“I’m biased, but I think he should be in,” Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer, said by phone. “Like with Jorge [Posada], Andy wasn’t bothered by the bright lights. He ratcheted up his performance.”
In addition to the newcomers, Mike Mussina remains on the ballot after getting 63.5 percent of the votes last year, his fifth as a candidate. BBWAA writers must return their ballots by Dec. 31 and the results will be announced Jan. 22.
Rivera would become the first player from the most recent Yankee dynasty to get to Cooperstown. Derek Jeter will make his debut on the ballot in a year.
“It will be special,” Torre said. “It’s no surprise that Mariano is on his way, but it’s something I’ll cherish and hopefully I’ll be there for Derek, too.”