Rivera set the major league record with career save No. 602 on Monday, pitching a perfect ninth inning to preserve the New York Yankees’ 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins.
With fans standing and cheering from his first pitch to his last, Rivera retired Trevor Plouffe , Michael Cuddyer and Chris Parmelee to end it. Parmelee looked at strike three — it appeared to be Rivera’s signature cutter — and Yankee Stadium roared in approval.
The 41-year-old Rivera tied Trevor Hoffman with save No. 601 on Saturday in Toronto. The AL East leaders lost Sunday, putting Rivera in line to get the milestone in the Yankees’ last homestand of the season.
Curtis Granderson hit his 41st homer of the year for the Yankees. Cory Wade (6-1) got the victory.
Michael Cuddyer hit a two-run homer for Minnesota. Scott Diamond (1-5) was charged with the loss.
Jacoby Ellsbury hit an inside-the-park homer and Conor Jackson added a grand slam to cap a much-needed offensive outburst that helped the Red Sox split their doubleheader and stop, for now, their slide in the AL wild-card race.
The Red Sox lead Tampa Bay by two games in the wild-card standings. The Rays were idle; they open a four-game series against the first-place New York Yankees on Tuesday.
Boston slugger Adrian Gonzalez reached base seven straight times in the doubleheader, Marco Scutaro had six hits and Dustin Pedroia drove in five runs on the day. Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer in the nightcap that erased the early deficit and gave the Red Sox the lead for good.
In Toronto, Adam Lind drove in the winning run with a grounder in the 10th inning and the Blue Jays beat the Angels before a tiny crowd in Toronto.
Torii Hunter and Mark Trumbo homered for the Angels but Los Angeles lost for the third time in four games, further denting its chances of reaching the playoffs. The Angels trail first-place Texas by five games in the AL West and are behind both Boston and Tampa Bay in the wild-card race.
The crowd of 11,178 was Toronto’s second-smallest of the season, and well short of the 18,556 who showed up just down the street to watch the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs open their preseason schedule against Ottawa.
In Cleveland, Mike Carp hit a grand slam into the second deck in right field and drove in five runs during Seattle’s nine-run third inning.
The Mariners came in for one day to make up a rainout from May 15, and played in a steady drizzle before the field was covered at the start of the eighth. After waiting 44 minutes, it was called.
Carp connected against reliever Chad Durbin for a 455-foot shot to put Seattle ahead 11-4. He doubled home the first run in the inning off David Huff (2-6).
Cleveland scored three times in the first against Charlie Furbush (4-9). Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-run homer and Carlos Santana followed with another drive.
