Best Ever? Mariano Rivera Retiring After This Year

Mariano Rivera announced today what baseball fans, and especially Yankees fans, could see coming: The 43-year-old is retiring after this season. "There goes the greatest relief pitcher that ever lived," writes Gabe Lacques at USA Today. The numbers make it hard to disagree: Rivera is the game's all-time saves leader by a mile with 608, and he and his legendary cut fastball have achieved the amazing feat of allowing less than a baserunner per inning over his 18-year career.

But it's his playoff record that truly stands out, says Bleacher Report: "In 96 postseason contests, Rivera has gone 8-1 with a 0.70 ERA while recording 42 saves," writes Doug Rush. "He's also been a part of all five Yankees championships since 1996—tossing the series-clinching pitch in four of them." Click for more. (More Mariano Rivera stories.)