Yankees closer Mariano Rivera tallied his record-breaking 602nd save Monday in New York's 6-4 win at home against the Twins.
Rivera, 41, passed Trevor Hoffman, whom he tied Saturday in Toronto.
He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to notch his 43rd save of the season, his second-highest total since he had 53 in 2004.
"I wasn't expecting this," Rivera said. "But thank God it happened. And thank God it's over."
Rivera's teammates pushed him out to the mound so they and fans at Yankee Stadium could honor him, and he sheepishly acknowledged them.
"It's not about myself," he said. "I'm a team player and I pull for my team."
The right-hander from Panama had five career saves in 1997 when he inherited the Yankees' closing job from someone who saved 50 games the year before, including seven in the playoffs on the way to the 1996 World Series championship.
"It's a tremendous journey," Rivera said.
Back then, Rivera had already established himself as a dominant setup man, but there was at least a shred of doubt he could seamlessly inherit the role from John Wetteland.
''I'm not saying we let John go to give the closer job to Mo,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said in February 1997, according to The New York Times. ''It was a matter of, we didn't have the money for a reliever and a starter. At the time, we felt we needed a starter worse. That's where we spent the money.''
The Yankees opted not to bring back Wettleland after the 1996 season -- he signed with the Rangers -- and added starting pitcher David Wells. In 1998, Wells pitched the first perfect game for the Yankees since Don Larsen's during the 1956 World Series, but Rivera has been more impactful, perhaps more so than any reliever in big-league history.
"I would never say that," Rivera said. "I will never talk about myself. All I can say is thank God for my teammates."
Rivera's ERA dwarfs most of those of the pitchers on the all-time saves list, many by close to a run or more. Hoffman's is 2.87, and he and Rivera have 123 more saves than any other reliever. Among all pitchers -- starters and relievers -- with at least 1,000 innings and 100 decisions, Rivera ranks 13th in ERA.
The closest active pitcher to Rivera on the saves list is the Reds' Francisco Cordero, 36, who has 323.
"That means you're old," Rivera said in trying to put his achievement in perspective. He is signed through next season.
Hoffman released the following statement on his Facebook page:
I want to congratulate Mariano Rivera on setting the all-time saves record. It's a great accomplishment and he is still going strong! I have tremendous respect for Mariano not just for his on-field accomplishments, but also for his service to the community.
Carving up hitters with his signature cut fastball, Rivera has put together an 8-1 record, 0.71 ERA and 42 saves in 139 2/3 postseason innings and has helped lead the Yankees to seven American League pennants and five World Series titles.
Yankees manager Girardi, who caught Rivera over four seasons as a player (1996-1999) before becoming manager in 2008, described the feeling when Rivera enters a game as "peaceful," even during a bases-loaded situation.
"I just feel that he's gonna get it done," Girardi said. "You're shocked when he doesn't close a game."
Girardi also used the adjective to describe his feeling should Rivera's all-time saves record get broken: "I'll be shocked if it happens in our lifetime."
One of Rivera's teammates for all the titles, catcher Jorge Posada, became a full-time designated hitter this season. Girardi said he was hesitant to use him in the ninth inning for Rivera's record-breaking save because Posada had only caught six innings this season. Russell Martin caught the entire game Monday.
"It's not something that we've done a lot," Girardi had said about using Posada at catcher, according to the New York Daily News. "We've caught him one time, and the games are important right now. It's something that we can talk about, but I'm probably going to stick with our catchers."
The Yankees entered Monday with a 4 1/2-game lead on the Red Sox in the AL East.
Posada watched Rivera record his record-breaking save from the dugout rail, raising his arm in celebration when the feat was complete.
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