Baseball is a peculiar sport; it depends mostly on statistics to hold the interest of fans, ardent and casual alike. The ardent fan can recite facts and figures about their favorite team or player going back a century. Last night, Mariano Rivera and Tim Wakefield, two pitchers in Baseball’s Major League, both reached significant milestones and added to the bulging statistics of the fans of their particular team. They are two unlikely brothers; but each with tenacity and grit achieved something only few before them have done. Both men have two things in common; they are members of intensely rival teams, and they are both pitchers for their teams. Mariano Rivera is the ‘closer’ for the New York Yankees and Tim Wakefield is a starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.
Mariano Rivera joined the NY Yankees as a starting pitcher as an amateur free agent in 1990, and came up to the ‘Big Leagues’ May 23, 1993. He started for the Yankees for a portion of that season, and then became the ‘set up man’. He later became the closer for his team. In 1996 he earned his first World Series ring with the Yankees. He went on to garner 4 more, and is seeking the sixth this year. Termed the ‘Sand Man’ by sports writers, and beloved by his teammates, Mo as he is called, signals to the opposing team the game is over whenever he enters the field at the tail end of a game. Last night he recorded his 600th saves in the regular season. If you add in the 42 saves in the post season he has done his magic 642 times to bring victory to the Yankees. Mo wears the number 42 on his back, the same number worn by Jackie Robinson, and is now retired league wide. When Mo retires, he will be the last player to wear that number.
Tim Wakefield became a major leaguer in 1992 a year before Rivera. He started out as an outfielder and was converted to a knuckleball pitcher. He started many games but has lost quite a few because is so very difficult to catch a knuckleball pitcher. Last night Wakefield recorded his 200th wins as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. It was a moment to remember for Red Sox fans and for Tim a point of relief. He had made eight previous starts after his 299th and did not get the wins. Chasing a milestone in any arena is stressful, but for a baseball pitcher particularly so; because success does not depend upon your effort alone, but your team mates on the field has to chip in to complete the mission.
These giants of the game of baseball, these two gentlemen, and these two brothers met last night at that hallowed place in baseball where milestones live.