Rivera sets saves record

NEW YORK – Mariano Rivera stood by himself, in the center of the diamond at Yankee Stadium.

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 a 99 percent chance of knowing what’s coming, and he still is able to go out there and dominate.”