With Mariano Rivera’s impending record-breaking save upon us it begs the question of who’s the greatest closer of them all. Since saves weren’t an official baseball statistic until the year of the ’69 Mets, we’re only going with the top 10 players from that time forward. On to the countdown:
10. John Wetteland—The toughest call on the list is who’s the last to get mentioned. Jeff Reardon and Troy Percival were the last two cuts and you could obviously build a case for either of them as they both totaled more saves in their career than our number 10 guy. Wetteland though got more done in less time, retiring with a total of 330 saves (11th most) and a sterling 2.93 career ERA at the age of 33 after the 2000 season—seemingly at the height of baseball’s rumored steroid era. The all-time saves leader of the ’90s with 295, the righty from San Mateo, Calif., was the World Series MVP while wearing pinstripes in ’96 after closing the door four times on the Braves.
9. John Franco—The left-handed Franco has more saves than any southpaw in history (424) while his 1,119 appearances are third most of anyone—right or left-handed—and make his career 2.89 ERA all the more impressive. The four-time all-star led the league in saves three times in his 21 seasons, but his prime talent was hidden from baseball’s biggest stage—the Fall Classic—until a 38-year-old Franco played backup to the newly acquired Armando Benitez in 1999.
8. Rich Gossage—Gossage played 22 seasons for nine different teams, retiring with 310 saves—fourth-best when he finally put away his glove. His intimidating presence on the mound was as much due to his ferocious fastball as it was his handlebar mustache. And although the total saves are the least of anyone on this list, “Goose” was one of the best of his era as evidenced by his then-record eight all-star selections as a reliever in addition to his one-time inclusion as a starter and although he never won a Cy Young award, he finished in the top six in voting five different times.
7. Randy Myers—One of the three “Nasty Boys” relievers that led Lou Piniella’s Cincinnati Reds to a surprising World Series title in 1990, Myers led the league in saves three times, including a whopping 53 in 1993 before finally hanging up his cleats. A lefty from Vancouver, Wash., Myers retired with 347 saves (ninth-most), the 1990 NLCS MVP, four all-star selections, and a fourth-place finish in the ’97 MVP voting while leading the league with 45 saves.
6. Billy Wagner—A close call over Myers, “Billy the Kid” accumulated 422 saves and a sterling 2.31 ERA over a span of 16 seasons (Myers finished with a 3.19) while closing for five different clubs. The 12th overall selection of the ’93 draft, the left-handed Wagner was a seven-time all-star who twice led the senior circuit in games finished, yet his main detriment was his career 10.03 ERA in eight pressure-filled postseason series.
5. Lee Smith—The big right-hander from Louisiana was baseball’s all-time leader in saves (ending up with 478) from 1993 until Trevor Hoffman bested him in 2006. A seven-time all-star who lasted 18 seasons in the big leagues, Smith led the league in saves four times for three different teams. Although a tough call between him and Fingers for this spot, Smith’s postseason record (0–2 record in four games with an 8.44 ERA) was just enough to give Rollie the nod.
4. Rollie Fingers—Known mostly for his perfectly-kept mustache, Fingers’s 341 saves—a record when he called it quits after the ’85 season—pale in comparison to the the trio of closers below, yet the former Padre, Brewer, and Athletic played in an era—along with Gossage—where managers were just starting to use closers more frequently. The seven-time all-star and three-time World Series Champion was the league-leader in saves three times in his Hall-of-Fame career, the last of which (1981) resulted in a Cy Young and MVP Award—one of only two on this list to receive it.
3. Trevor Hoffman—The 601 career saves amassed by the right-hander from Bellflower, Calif., has been a record for nearly five years after passing the aforementioned Lee Smith. Hoffman, another seven-time all-star selection, has twice led the league in saves, including a career-best 53 in leading the Padres to the 1998 World Series—one of two seasons in which San Diego’s long-time closer finished runner up in the Cy Young voting. Undoubtedly one of the best ever, Hoffman’s one disappointing World Series appearance (culminating in a blown save) as well as his inability to nail down either of his team’s final two save opportunities to put the Pads in their third straight postseason in 2007, leaves him slightly behind the top two on this list.
2. Dennis Eckersley—Although “Eck” doesn’t have near the total saves (390) that the Hoffman had, the long-haired righty did all his damage in an 11-year span from ’87–’97 after A’s manager Tony LaRussa decided to try the former 20 game-winner and two-time all-star starter as a closer. Separating him slightly from Hoffman was possibly the most dominating five-year span a pitcher has ever achieved, culminating with his MVP and Cy Young Award winning season of 1992, Eckersley totaled 220 saves, a 1.90 ERA (including a microscopic 0.61 in 1990), four all-star selections, one World Series trophy and the 1988 ALCS MVP.
1. Mariano Rivera—Long considered the best of all-time due to his untouchable status come October, Rivera’s already-sterling regular season numbers are about to become par with his postseason records. Armed with poise, command, and a cut fastball that has yet to be solved the longtime Yankee from Panama has been an all-star reliever a record 12 times while leading New York to five World Series titles, thanks in large part to his postseason-record 42 saves off a sparkling 0.71 ERA in 139 and two-thirds innings in the Fall Classic. In addition, Rivera’s 2.22 career ERA in the regular season leads all active pitchers as do his appearances, saves, and games finished. Put simply, he’s the greatest.
10. John Wetteland—The toughest call on the list is who’s the last to get mentioned. Jeff Reardon and Troy Percival were the last two cuts and you could obviously build a case for either of them as they both totaled more saves in their career than our number 10 guy. Wetteland though got more done in less time, retiring with a total of 330 saves (11th most) and a sterling 2.93 career ERA at the age of 33 after the 2000 season—seemingly at the height of baseball’s rumored steroid era. The all-time saves leader of the ’90s with 295, the righty from San Mateo, Calif., was the World Series MVP while wearing pinstripes in ’96 after closing the door four times on the Braves.
9. John Franco—The left-handed Franco has more saves than any southpaw in history (424) while his 1,119 appearances are third most of anyone—right or left-handed—and make his career 2.89 ERA all the more impressive. The four-time all-star led the league in saves three times in his 21 seasons, but his prime talent was hidden from baseball’s biggest stage—the Fall Classic—until a 38-year-old Franco played backup to the newly acquired Armando Benitez in 1999.
8. Rich Gossage—Gossage played 22 seasons for nine different teams, retiring with 310 saves—fourth-best when he finally put away his glove. His intimidating presence on the mound was as much due to his ferocious fastball as it was his handlebar mustache. And although the total saves are the least of anyone on this list, “Goose” was one of the best of his era as evidenced by his then-record eight all-star selections as a reliever in addition to his one-time inclusion as a starter and although he never won a Cy Young award, he finished in the top six in voting five different times.
7. Randy Myers—One of the three “Nasty Boys” relievers that led Lou Piniella’s Cincinnati Reds to a surprising World Series title in 1990, Myers led the league in saves three times, including a whopping 53 in 1993 before finally hanging up his cleats. A lefty from Vancouver, Wash., Myers retired with 347 saves (ninth-most), the 1990 NLCS MVP, four all-star selections, and a fourth-place finish in the ’97 MVP voting while leading the league with 45 saves.
6. Billy Wagner—A close call over Myers, “Billy the Kid” accumulated 422 saves and a sterling 2.31 ERA over a span of 16 seasons (Myers finished with a 3.19) while closing for five different clubs. The 12th overall selection of the ’93 draft, the left-handed Wagner was a seven-time all-star who twice led the senior circuit in games finished, yet his main detriment was his career 10.03 ERA in eight pressure-filled postseason series.
5. Lee Smith—The big right-hander from Louisiana was baseball’s all-time leader in saves (ending up with 478) from 1993 until Trevor Hoffman bested him in 2006. A seven-time all-star who lasted 18 seasons in the big leagues, Smith led the league in saves four times for three different teams. Although a tough call between him and Fingers for this spot, Smith’s postseason record (0–2 record in four games with an 8.44 ERA) was just enough to give Rollie the nod.
4. Rollie Fingers—Known mostly for his perfectly-kept mustache, Fingers’s 341 saves—a record when he called it quits after the ’85 season—pale in comparison to the the trio of closers below, yet the former Padre, Brewer, and Athletic played in an era—along with Gossage—where managers were just starting to use closers more frequently. The seven-time all-star and three-time World Series Champion was the league-leader in saves three times in his Hall-of-Fame career, the last of which (1981) resulted in a Cy Young and MVP Award—one of only two on this list to receive it.
3. Trevor Hoffman—The 601 career saves amassed by the right-hander from Bellflower, Calif., has been a record for nearly five years after passing the aforementioned Lee Smith. Hoffman, another seven-time all-star selection, has twice led the league in saves, including a career-best 53 in leading the Padres to the 1998 World Series—one of two seasons in which San Diego’s long-time closer finished runner up in the Cy Young voting. Undoubtedly one of the best ever, Hoffman’s one disappointing World Series appearance (culminating in a blown save) as well as his inability to nail down either of his team’s final two save opportunities to put the Pads in their third straight postseason in 2007, leaves him slightly behind the top two on this list.
2. Dennis Eckersley—Although “Eck” doesn’t have near the total saves (390) that the Hoffman had, the long-haired righty did all his damage in an 11-year span from ’87–’97 after A’s manager Tony LaRussa decided to try the former 20 game-winner and two-time all-star starter as a closer. Separating him slightly from Hoffman was possibly the most dominating five-year span a pitcher has ever achieved, culminating with his MVP and Cy Young Award winning season of 1992, Eckersley totaled 220 saves, a 1.90 ERA (including a microscopic 0.61 in 1990), four all-star selections, one World Series trophy and the 1988 ALCS MVP.
1. Mariano Rivera—Long considered the best of all-time due to his untouchable status come October, Rivera’s already-sterling regular season numbers are about to become par with his postseason records. Armed with poise, command, and a cut fastball that has yet to be solved the longtime Yankee from Panama has been an all-star reliever a record 12 times while leading New York to five World Series titles, thanks in large part to his postseason-record 42 saves off a sparkling 0.71 ERA in 139 and two-thirds innings in the Fall Classic. In addition, Rivera’s 2.22 career ERA in the regular season leads all active pitchers as do his appearances, saves, and games finished. Put simply, he’s the greatest.
