SEATTLE (AP) - Mariano Rivera earned his 600th save, moving within one of Trevor Hoffman's major league record, by closing out the New York Yankees' 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.
Rivera entered with a one-run lead in the ninth inning and allowed just a one-out single to Ichiro Suzuki. He was retired when catcher Russell Martin caught Suzuki trying to steal second for the final out.
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter put the tag on Suzuki and smiled as he brought the souvenir ball to Rivera. One by one, New York players lined up to hug Rivera and give him high-fives near the mound.
"It's a great number," Rivera said, sounding a bit choked up by all the adulation. "I'm not a guy who looks for things like that."
But just think, he's racked up all those saves - plus 42 more in the postseason - primarily on the strength of one dominant pitch: a sizzling cut fastball.
Robinson Cano provided the Yankees offense with a homer and two RBIs, while A.J. Burnett (10-11) won for the first time since Aug. 15 thanks to a season-high 11 strikeouts. New York stayed four games in front of second-place Boston in the AL East after the Red Sox thumped Toronto 18-6.
