The best careers after age 35 in MLB history: 11. Mariano Rivera, 2005-13 (35-43)
- 478 games finished
- 316 saves
- 1.91 ERA
Next up on this list of greatest MLB careers after the age of 35 is the last member to find a spot outside of the top-10. Recently, Call to the Pen ranked this member, Mariano Rivera, as the greatest closer in MLB history. Just to give a little preview of how impressive the top-10 of this list truly is.
There’s a lot to say about the career of Rivera, from his first-ever unanimous Hall of Fame induction to his all-time records for games finished (952), total saves (652), and ERA+ (205). Of course, let’s dive into what he did after the age of 35.
Rivera turned 35-years-old during the 2005 season with the New York Yankees, the team he spent the entirety of his career with. He’s also the all-time leader for pitchers over 35 in both saves (316) and games finished (478). Impressively, Rivera continued to baffle opposing hitters with that infamous cut-fastball. During his final nine seasons, Rivera owned a 1.91 ERA and 0.913 WHIP. He earned All-Star honors in all but two of those campaigns and saved at least 30 games in every year but one, a year plagued by injury.
“Sandman’s” career pre-35 and post-35 weren’t much different from a performance standpoint. The cutter continued to baffle the best hitters on the planet and he was the most reliable closer and relief pitcher in the game. Rivera was enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2019 with 100 percent of the vote.