Can Street catch Hoffman Rivera on saves list?
Angels closer might have stuff to approach Rivera and Hoffman
In the long run, Los Angeles Angels closer Huston Street might be chasing the two best finishers in baseball history, Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.
At the moment, Street — who recorded his 299th career save last week against the Rockies in Colorado — is ahead of the paces of the two greats, though he took the weekend series off along with the All-Star break to rest a groin injury.
Through his age-31 season, Rivera had 215 of his record 652 saves. Through his age-31 season, Hoffman had 228 of his secondranked 601 saves. And Street is a little over halfway through his age-31 season.
“More than anything, over the 10 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve wanted to be humble and stay focused,” says Street, who has 24 saves this season. “Those guys did that better than anybody. Walk off the mound with a save, without any theatrics.
“They expected to get the job done. Their humility and respect for the game is what I admire most about them. That’s what I’ve tried to emulate during my career.”
Rivera broke into the majors as a starting pitcher; Hoffman was an infielder when he started his minor league career. Their closer conversions came quickly, but not as early as Street’s.
Street last started a game in high school, with the exception of a couple of injury-rehabilitation assignments in pro ball.
University of Texas coach Augie Garrido made him a closer his first two seasons. Going into his junior year, Street considered starting again. Garrido told him he could help the Longhorns more out of the bullpen but left the choice up to him.
Street said he thinks he chose wisely by remaining a reliever, and the Oakland Athletics took him 40th overall in the 2004 draft.
Hoffman, 47, who was the first in history to reach 600 saves, worked with and befriended Street during the San Diego Padres’ spring training in 2012.
“He was a sponge,” Hoffman says. “He’s very diligent with his craft. He’s always looking to get an edge with his stuff and with his mind-set.”
Hoffman said he didn’t realize Street was that close to 300 but said he wasn’t surprised by that or to hear that Street is ahead of the pace of the two 600-save men. Lee Smith (478) is third on the all-time list. The leader in saves among active pitchers is Joe Nathan, 40, who is seventh overall with 377 but is recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery.
“Huston was really the first of his breed, because he closed in college,” Hoffman says. “Because of who he is and the way he works at it, I could see him going for a long time.
“His humility, his upbringing by his parents, has made a tremendous impact. He’s done a great job continuing the legacy of the Street family.”
Huston’s late father, James, was an undefeated (20-0) college quarterback who won a national championship and two Cotton Bowls for Texas and pitched a perfect game and a no-hitter for the Longhorns baseball team.
“My dad used to tell me to watch what Earl Campbell did when he scored a touchdown,” Street says. “He handed the ball to an official. My dad said, ‘He acts like he’s done it before, and he’s going to do it again.’ ”
Street broke in with the Athletics in 2005 — his second pro season — and spent four years there. He pitched three years for the Colorado Rockies and 2½ years for the Padres before being traded to the Angels in July last season. He had a combined 41 saves in 2014, a career high, and helped the Angels close strong with 98 victories and the American League West title.
Street had 37 saves for the A’s in his second major league season in 2006, 35 for the Rockies in 2009 and 33 for the Padres in 2013.
Street says his San Diego stay was especially beneficial in defining his career, singling out Hoffman’s influence and the unshaking confidence shown in him by former manager Bud Black and his coaches.
“Trevor really helped me out with my daily pregame routine,” Street says. “He stressed that it was important to do everything, every day, at the same time and not skip anything no matter how you felt that day. Trevor helped me with my prep, both on and off the field.”
Street has never possessed an overpowering fastball, as Hoffman had during the first half of his 18-year career. In addition to their competitive natures, an excellent changeup is what they have in common, an out pitch that when executed — and kept down — makes up for any lack of velocity.
“There has been a comparison of the two of us,” Hoffman says. “We get a lot of credit for our secondary stuff, but it’s all about having fastball command, which Huston has. You’ve got to be able to get Strike One to set everything up.
“I give him a lot of credit for being able to read the hitters, from pitch to pitch, and the way he sets them up. I don’t see any fall-off coming from him anytime soon, and if there is, stuff-wise, he’s smart enough and so competitive that he’ll make the adjustments.”
Street will be the 27th pitcher to reach 300 saves, but the groin injury might delay the milestone that puts him almost halfway to Hoffman and Rivera.
“Three-hundred was such a big number for me to get to,” Hoffman says. “When I got it, there hadn’t been that many guys to reach 300. It was the first checkoff in the great race (with Rivera).
“A lot of guys, when they got to 300, they were pretty close to the end of their careers. Huston’s right in the middle of his.”