Yankees will have to find ninth-inning serenity in Luke Weaver’s absence

We are not going to see another Mariano Rivera anytime soon. Probably not ever. There has been no one who has come close to his combination of dominance, efficiency and durability over a sustained period — and then was even better in the postseason. 

No statistic can provide the complete picture of the poise and precision with which Rivera pitched, or measure the confidence with which he imbued his team — or the dread in the opponent when he was just lurking and not even in the game yet. 

But I do love this as a way to at least get a lot of pixels. Rivera had 11 seasons in which he logged at least 60 games and produced an ERA at least 100 percent better than league average (two times it was 200 percent better). Joe Nathan is next best at six. No one else has more than four. 

So when you see even a snapshot of Rivera — a glimpse of the elements that made him better at what he did by a greater distance than anyone else ever — it is jolting, like an aroma transporting you back to childhood. And for most of the past two seasons, especially from mid-August of 2024 onward, Luke Weaver channeled pieces of Rivera.