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Courtesy of Keivom/News
Congratulations Mariano!
500 saves is quite an accomplishment considering he is only the second in history to achieve that milestone. Is it worthy for a 1st ballot hall of fame entry?
If any ordinary closer were to accomplish that, I’d have to make a strong case for it. 300 saves used to be a significant number to reach some 10-15 years ago for a closer. So the number of saves is not so significant when considering a reliever for the Hall of Fame as much as it used to be.
As a fan, you expect a closer to come into the 9th inning to shut down the opposing team’s 2-3-4 hitters in a row and get the win for his team. You expect him to come out to some adrenaline rushing music like Wild Thing or Hells Bells in Ricky Vaughn fashion (from the 1989 movie Major League for you non-movie buffs).
His playoff stats are mesmerizing: In 76 playoff games, he posed a 8-1 w/l record 0.77 era and 34 saves. 4 World Series rings doesn’t hurt either.
If you’re a fan of the team he’s on, you love and need him…your opponents fear him.
Now Mariano instills that fear…this is why he earned one of many nicknames most notably The Sandman…this is why I believe he is an automatic bid for the Baseball Hall of Fame with or without the 500 save milestone.
Again Congratulations Mariano…
-R
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