Rivera is saves king

For once, the great closer wasn’t sure what to do next.

So he smiled, blew a kiss to the crowd, and then doffed his cap as cheers washed over him following the record 602nd save of his career.

"Oh, my God, for the first time in my career, I’m on the mound alone,” Rivera said. "It was priceless. I didn’t know it could be like that.” Rivera pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out Chris Parmelee on what appeared to be his signature cut fastball to end the New York Yankees’ 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday.

Fans from the smallest crowd in the Stadium’s three-year history stood and shouted from Rivera’s first pitch to his last as he retired Trevor Plouffe, Michael Cuddyer and Parmelee in order and broke Trevor Hoffman’s mark.

They even roared in the bottom of the eighth when Nick Swisher grounded into an inning-ending double play — and drew a loud cheer from fans who wanted to see history made at the ballpark for the second time this summer. In July, Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit at home.

"These guys are into it,” Rivera thought to himself.

It’s a remarkable achievement, considering the slender right-hander throws mostly one pitch. Opposing hitters have seen it for years, but still haven’t figured it out. "It’s amazing,” Cuddyer said. "You’ve got a99 percent chance of knowing what’s coming, and he still is able to go out there and dominate.”

So good for so long, Rivera has built a Hall of Fame-caliber career and been a pillar of five World Series championship teams. The only person who might not acknowledge Rivera isn’t the best closer of all time is Rivera himself.

"You know me, I’m not like that,” Rivera said. "I like to be under the radar, do my job.”

He nearly did it outside the country. The 41-year-old Rivera tied Hoffman with save No. 601 on Saturday in Toronto. The AL East leaders lost Sunday, putting Rivera in line to get the milestone in the Yankees’ last homestand of the season.

Hoffman earned most of his saves with San Diego and retired after pitching last year with Milwaukee.

"I want to congratulate Mariano Rivera on setting the alltime saves record,” Hoffman said in a statement. "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.”

On Monday, the New York crowd hollered as Rivera came in to the customary strains of Metallica’s "Enter Sandman.” The fans grew louder with every strike, every out as Rivera closed in. He even broke a bat for good measure — sawing off Parmelee and sending the rookie back to the dugout for another piece of wood.