By Closers are unpredictable, capricious creatures, and to have one extremely dominant role over three years is exceptionally rare. Nevertheless, a good closure is determined by how he displays his performance during his period when he is at the peak of his abilities and decided to do even more so by always executing his best. Here are the 7 best closers in MLB of all time.
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Mariano Rivera
Full name: Mariano Rivera
Born: November 29, 1969 (age 53)
Team(s): New York Yankees (1995–2013)
Position: Relief pitcher
Total saves: 652
Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian-American retired pro baseball player who played his entire career (19 seasons) in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013.
Often referred to as “Mo” and “Sandman”, Rivera is a 13-time All-Star and 5-time World Series titles among his many other accomplishments. He is ranked first in MLB when it comes to saves (652). He is also elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
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Trevor Hoffman
Full name: Trevor William Hoffman
Born: October 13, 1967 (age 55)
Team(s): Florida Marlins (1993); San Diego Padres (1993–2008); Milwaukee Brewers (2009–2010)
Position: Relief pitcher
Total saves: 601
Trevor Hoffman was MLB’s first player to set the 500- and 600-save landmarks and was the leader of all-time saves from 2006 until 2011. Hoffman mainly played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Milwaukee Brewers from 1993 to 2010. He is a 7× All-Star, 2× NL Rolaids Relief Man Award, and 2× NL saves leader and is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Dennis Eckersley
Full name: Dennis Lee Eckersley
Born: October 3, 1954
Team(s): Cleveland Indians (1975–1977); Boston Red Sox (1978–1984, 1998); Chicago Cubs (1984–1986); Oakland Athletics (1987–1995); St. Louis Cardinals (1996–1997)
Position: Pitcher
Total saves: 390
Dennis Eckersley, often referred to as “Eck”, is an American retired pro baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for five teams, from 1975 to 1998. Eckersley mainly played as a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals. Although he established himself as a starter, he gained much more recognition as a closer.
He is a six-time All-Star, and World Series champ, and was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame with his induction in 2004.
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Lee Smith
Full name: Lee Arthur Smith
Born: December 4, 1957 (age 65)
Team(s): Chicago Cubs (1980–1987); Boston Red Sox (1988–1990); St. Louis Cardinals (1990–1993); New York Yankees (1993); Baltimore Orioles (1994); California Angels (1995–1996); Cincinnati Reds (1996); Montreal Expos (1997)
Position: Relief pitcher
Total saves: 478
Lee Smith is an American retired pro baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in MLB for eight teams. Throughout his career, he mainly played as a relief pitcher and was a prevalent closer and set the MLB record for most career saves dating from 1993 to 2006. He was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 and received a perfect 100% vote.
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Rollie Fingers (341 Saves)
Full name: Roland Glen Fingers
Born: August 25, 1946 (age 76)
Team(s): Oakland Athletics (1968–1976); San Diego Padres (1977–1980); Milwaukee Brewers (1981–1982, 1984–1985)
Position: Pitcher
Total saves: 341
The former right-handed pitcher played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for three teams from 1968 to 1985. He is a 7× All-Star, 3× World Series champion, AL MVP, and an AL Cy Young Award winner. Fingers were elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 and received a total of 81.6% votes.
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Goose Gossage (310 Saves)
Full name: Richard Michael “Goose” Gossage
Born: July 5, 1951 (age 71)
Team(s): Chicago White Sox (1972–1976); Pittsburgh Pirates (1977); New York Yankees (1978–1983, 1989); San Diego Padres (1984–1987); Chicago Cubs (1988); San Francisco Giants (1989); Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (1990); Texas Rangers (1991); Oakland Athletics (1992–1993); Seattle Mariners (1994)
Position: Pitcher
Total saves: 310
Goose Gossage is an American retired baseball pitcher who played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for 22 seasons, from 1972 to 1994. He spent most of his career and probably his best years with the Yankees and Padres. He was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
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Bruce Sutter
Full name: Howard Bruce Sutter
Born: January 8, 1953
Died: October 13, 2022 (aged 69)
Team(s): Chicago Cubs (1976–1980); St. Louis Cardinals (1981–1984); Atlanta Braves (1985–1986, 1988)
Position: Pitcher
Total saves: 300
Bruce Stutter was an American pro baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in MLB for Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Atlanta Braves mainly as a pitcher. From the end of the 1970s to the beginning of the 1980s, Stutter was one of the sport’s most dominant relief pitchers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Let’s give a look over the Best Pitchers across MLB over time.
