41-year old righty reliever Mariano Rivera came into yesterday’s game in Yankee Stadium with the Yankees’ ahead 6-4 in the 9th inning. Rivera was tied with Trevor Hoffman in saves with 601, until he worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a whiff! Rivera is now the all-time saves leader in major league history! Rivera has pitched in 61 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 1-2 with 43 saves, a 1.98 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Rivera is showing no signs of slowing down as he has only given up 46 hits and 7 walks in his first 59 innings this year while whiffing 57 batters! Rivera has now pitched in 17 seasons with the Yankees, appearing in 1,039 games (10 starts) in which he is 75-57 with 602 saves, a 2.22 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He hasn’t just been outstanding during the regular season either. Rivera has pitched in 94 games (0 starts) in 15 post-seasons for the Yankees and he is 8-1 with 42 saves, a 0.71 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer of all-time without a doubt!

24-year old righty starting pitcher Ivan Nova has been the most dependable starting pitcher for the Yankees for the last few months. In his last 12 starts, Nova is 11-0 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has now pitched in 24 games (23 starts) for the Yankees overall this year and he is 15-4 with a 3.89 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. If the playoffs started right now, the Yankees would have to go with Nova as the #2 starter behind C.C. Sabathia, as he has been that good. The Rockies wanted Nova as part of a package to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez. The Yankees said no to that deal and they are lucky that they did, as Nova is starting to look like a top of the rotation starting pitcher.

24-year old righty starting pitcher Ivan Nova has been incredible since the Yankees called him back up. In his first two starts since his recall, Nova is 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. He has whiffed 16 batters while only walking 1 in his first 14 2/3 innings since coming back to the Yankees. Control was an issue earlier in the year for Nova, but he’s trusting his stuff and pounding the strike zone right now and the results have been amazing. Nova has pitched in 19 games (18 starts) overall this year for the Yanks and he is 10-4 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Nova has essentially kicked 25-year old righty Phil Hughes to the bullpen. Hughes has pitched in 9 games (8 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 2-4 with a 7.11 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. The Yankees hope that shorter stints in games will bring back Hughes’ old effectiveness as a reliever.

28-year old righty reliever Cory Wade is looking pretty good for the Yankees right now. He has pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. Wade has only given up 9 hits while whiffing 11 batters in his first 13 2/3 innings for the Yankees. The Yankees pretty much stole Wade from the Rays, as he was pitching very well for them in AAA but they never called him up. Give GM Brian Cashman kudos for helping his own team while hurting the Rays at the same time.

26-year old righty reliever David Robertson has been added to the All-Star team to replace the injured David Price (toe). Robertson has pitched in 38 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has only given up 25 hits while whiffing 56 batters in his first 35 1/3 innings this year, showing just how nasty he is. Robertson has walked 23 batters already this year but it hasn’t really gotten him into much trouble this year. Robertson has been outstanding for the Yankees so far this year and he deserves the honor of making the All-Star team.