![]() ![]() I play for the Mets, he plays for the Yankees. "Lord forbid, the earth should crumble if two people have it. "I know Mariano’s got it," he told the New York Times. Rivera didn't care, and Wagner was incredulous. The situation was blown out of proportion due in part to radio legend Mike Francesa, who got on Wagner for using the song. There was some controversy in 2006 when Billy Wagner joined the Mets and used "Enter Sandman" as his entrance music, as he had done since 1999 when he was with the Houston Astros. To tell you the truth, I have to do one thing. When I go in there, I’m going to business. "I never said that I didn’t like it, but I didn’t care about the song," Rivera told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com in 2011. What's interesting about the legend surrounding Rivera and "Enter Sandman" is that he didn't care about the song, which was chosen for him by the Yankees during the 1999 season. "That song was there for 17 years and many championships, so there's no comparison." There's no comparison with that," Rivera told Jennifer Williams of Fox 5. ![]() ![]() But the Mets’ ninth-inning man is pitching himself into the discussion, at least.While Diaz's entrance has become iconic and taken on a life of its own, former Yankees closer Mariano Rivera - widely viewed as the best closer ever - said there's no comparison between Diaz's "Narco" and his former entrance song, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. ![]() It’s hard to say if Díaz’s dominance in short stints might be enough to challenge the likes of Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, who was 10-4 with an NL-best 1.88 ERA in a major league-high 158 1/3 innings. No reliever has won a Cy Young Award since Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagne in 2003 - in large part because starters throw so many more innings, a fact even more critical to voters these days. New York (72-39) was 40-5 when Díaz pitches. He set a career high with 18 straight scoreless innings over 18 outings since June 22, and 37 of his past 50 outs came on strikeouts. “I put (in) a lot of work here with the trainer, everybody, to feel good every night, and it’s paying off.”ĭíaz converted 15 consecutive save chances and compiled a 0.36 ERA since the start of June. My slider command is better,” said Díaz, whose younger brother, Alexis, is a rookie reliever with Cincinnati. My fastball command has been a lot better. No other reliever was better than 16 per nine. He was averaging 18.07 strikeouts per nine innings. After his ERA ballooned from 1.96 to 5.59 that year, My wife told me, ‘Hey, you should use that trumpet song,’ Diaz recently explained. Mixing pinpoint 100 mph fastballs with 92 mph wipeout sliders, Díaz had whiffed 52.9% of the 172 batters he faced this season - the highest strikeout rate by a reliever through 45 appearances in major league history. Diaz entered to Narco while with the Seattle Mariners, before switching to No Hay Limite when he joined the Mets in 2019. He had a 0.86 WHIP to go with 91 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings, and was chosen NL reliever of the month for June and July. “Every state’s going to know that song.”Īffectionately nicknamed Sugar, the slender right-hander from Puerto Rico entered Wednesday with a 1.39 ERA and 26 saves in 29 chances this year. This one is amazing,” said Díaz’s father, also named Edwin. He went back to “Narco” in 2020 with the Mets and it’s become such a big hit, he even plays it at home for his kids. My wife told me to put that song (on) again. “When I was in Seattle, they picked that song for me. ![]()
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