David Ortiz, who will be a free agent this winter, said last week that he was open to joining the New York Yankees next season.

On Thursday, while speaking to reporters in St. Louis after winning the Roberto Clemente Award, Ortiz clarified those comments about free agency. The upshot? People made too much about what he said about the Yankees, and he would actually like to return to Boston once the Theo Epstein mess is sorted out and the team finds a new manager.

“Of course, I would like to come back,” he said. “They have a lot of things going on right now. So once they go through all the stuff, GM and managing things, I think they’re going to start talking to the players. So, we’ll see. We’ve got time.”

And what about the Yankees?

“I never said that I would sign with the Yankees. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,” he said. “They asked me if I would play for the Yankees. I said I would think about it. But I didn’t confirm to nobody that I would play for the Yankees. I’m still a Red Sox, aren’t I?”

Ortiz is right, of course. All he said was that he would have to think about going to New York if the Yankees showed interest, which seems like a perfectly reasonable way to approach free agency. That being said, he shouldn’t be surprised by the reaction given the nature of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.

So there you have it. To sum up: David Ortiz would consider being a Yankee, but would like to stay in Boston. Also, he didn’t say it, but I’m guessing he would play in Seattle or Kansas City if the money was right. OK well, really right.

Now, back to the World Series …

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NEW YORK – Mariano Rivera stood by himself, in the center of the diamond at Yankee Stadium.

For once, the great closer wasn’t sure what to do next.

So he smiled, blew a kiss to the crowd, and then doffed his cap as cheers washed over him following the record 602nd save of his career.

“Oh, my God, for the first time in my career, I’m on the mound alone,” Rivera said. “It was priceless. I didn’t know it could be like that.”

Rivera pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out Chris Parmelee on what appeared to be his signature cut fastball to end the New York Yankees’ 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday.

Fans from the smallest crowd in the Stadium’s three-year history stood and shouted from Rivera’s first pitch to his last as he retired Trevor Plouffe, Michael Cuddyer and Parmelee in order and broke Trevor Hoffman’s mark.

They even roared in the bottom of the eighth when Nick Swisher grounded into an inning-ending double play – and drew a loud cheer from fans who wanted to see history made at the ballpark for the second time this summer. In July, Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit at home.

“These guys are into it,” Rivera thought to himself.

It’s a remarkable achievement, considering the slender right-hander throws mostly one pitch. Opposing hitters have seen it for years, but still haven’t figured it out.

“It’s amazing,” Cuddyer said. “You’ve got a 99 percent chance of knowing what’s coming, and he still is able to go out there and dominate.”

So good for so long, Rivera has built a Hall of Fame-caliber career and been a pillar of five World Series championship teams. The only person who might not acknowledge Rivera isn’t the best closer of all time is Rivera himself.

“You know me, I’m not like that,” Rivera said. “I like to be under the radar, do my job.”

He nearly did it outside the country. The 41-year-old Rivera tied 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.

Hoffman earned most of his saves with San Diego and retired after pitching last year with Milwaukee.

“I want to congratulate Mariano Rivera on setting the all-time saves record,” Hoffman said in a statement. “It’s a great accomplishment and he is still going strong! I have tremendous respect for Mariano not just for his on-field accomplishments, but also for his service to the community.”

On Monday, the New York crowd hollered as Rivera came in to the customary strains of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” The fans grew louder with every strike, every out as Rivera closed in. He even broke a bat for good measure – sawing off Parmelee and sending the rookie back to the dugout for another piece of wood.

Parmelee lasted only one more pitch. Plate umpire John Hirschbeck rung him up, and catcher Russell Martin came out to the mound, gently placed the ball in Rivera’s glove, and then gave the skinny Panamanian a big hug.

Rivera stayed and accepted congratulations – Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and finally Jeter came over to him before the bullpen and bench got there while the Twins watched from their dugout.

“I think it shows what he means to baseball, what he’s done,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “I also think it shows the class of the Minnesota Twins.”

Eventually, the Twins went back to their lockers and the Yankees did, too. That meant Rivera was left on the mound. He tried to sneak off the field with them, but longtime teammate Jorge Posada pushed him, laughing, onto the mound, where fans cheered him once again.

And who would’ve thought it, at least back in 1995 when Rivera started out. He began his career as a starter, lasting only 3 1-3 innings and losing 10-0 to the Angels in his debut, before becoming a star in the bullpen. He posted his first save in 1996, working usually as a setup man for John Wetteland.

Rivera’s 602 saves have come in 674 chances. Hoffman got his 601 in 677 tries.

Paid attendance was 40,045, less than the capacity crowd and attendant hullabaloo surrounding Jeter’s historic hit. STATS LLC said Monday’s makeup game drew the fewest fans since the new Yankee Stadium opened.

“Thank God it’s over, too. Because I was getting a little uncomfortable,” Rivera said.

New York now has another goal before heading to Tampa Bay to close the season: winning the division. The Yankees lead Boston by 5 1/2 games with 10 to play.

The Twins lost their ninth straight, tying a run in May as their worst of the season. The Yankees have been struggling, too – this was just their fifth win in 12 games.

Rivera has finished their last three victories, though. He got his 600th save in Seattle on Sept. 13.

Now that the milestone is behind him, Rivera can focus on getting ready for his 16th October in 17 seasons – that’s when he really made his reputation. Those 602 saves don’t count any of the 42 wins – in 47 chances – he locked down in the playoffs.

A.J. Burnett didn’t make it past the fifth inning, but Cory Wade (6-1), Boone Logan, Rafael Soriano and David Robertson kept the Twins at bay until Rivera came on in the ninth, and Curtis Granderson hit his 41st homer of the year.

Granderson’s homer off Scott Diamond (1-5) came in the first after Jeter reached on an infield single and Robinson Cano hit an RBI triple in the third followed by Swisher’s single to make it 5-0. Rodriguez hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth – right around the time Rivera was realizing he could be called on in the ninth.

As he has been since he got his first save on May 17, 1996, Mo was ready in the ninth. The only thing he wasn’t quite set for was the spotlight.

“Don’t get me wrong, it feels good,” Rivera said. “The reception was wonderful. I could not ask for anything more than that.”

NOTES: Of Rivera’s 602 saves, this was the 208th of a single 1-2-3 inning, according to STATS LLC. … This was Rivera’s 177th save to end with a strikeout, STATS said. … Just five pitchers who were primarily relievers are in the Hall of Fame: Hoyt Wilhelm (1985), Rollie Fingers (1992), Dennis Eckersley (2004), Bruce Sutter (2006) and Goose Gossage (2008). … Ben Revere set a Twins record for rookies by stealing his 32nd base in the third inning. Luis Rivas swiped 31 in 2001. … Minnesota will return home for three games against the Mariners, where they would start Liam Hendricks (0-2) against Seattle’s Jason Vargas (8-13). … New York began an eight-game homestand. They were set to play four against Tampa Bay starting Tuesday, with Ivan Nova (10-9) against Wade Davis (10-9).

Asked about Mariano Rivera, Doug Mientkiewicz knows he never got
a hit off the New York Yankees’ great closer. He’s glad to find out
he’s not alone.

As Rivera approaches the career saves record, an astounding 454
batters are 0-fer against him.

“So, I have company then?” Mientkiewicz said. “It’s not just me?
Awesome.”

Tied with Trevor Hoffman at 601 saves, Rivera is far more than
an accumulation of numbers. He made the cut fastball famous,
applying a grip that created a fearsome break _ especially to
left-handed hitters who tried to fight the pitch off as it spun in
on their fists.

Chuck Schupp of Louisville Slugger estimated Rivera averaged at
least one broken bat for every two of his 1,038 regular-season
games and 94 postseason appearances. At the rate required for
manufacturing, he thinks Rivera alone has accounted for five to six
trees of busted wood.

Chipper Jones could only chuckle as he watched Rivera break Ryan
Klesko’s bats three times in a four-pitch span during the final
inning of the 1999 World Series, with the Atlanta first baseman
hitting a weak popup to second as the wood shattered.

“That thing was just wicked. I had never seen anything like it,”
Klesko remembered Friday. “You can’t help to laugh. I couldn’t
believe it. It was like a 97 mph Wiffle Ball that has no rotation.
I told Chipper, ‘If he breaks one more of my bats, I’m going to
have none left.’”

In his 17th major league season and two months shy of his 42nd
birthday, the slim Panamanian shows little sign of slowing
down.

Just five pitchers who were primarily relievers are in the Hall
of Fame: Hoyt Wilhelm (1985), Rollie Fingers (1992), Dennis
Eckersley (2004), Bruce Sutter (2006) and Rich Gossage (2008). None
dominated for as long as Rivera has, and none owned October on an
annual basis.

“Everybody knows about Mariano Rivera. He’s one the biggest
names in the game, maybe the greatest postseason pitcher,”
Eckersley said. “I think there’s probably players in awe of him
that played against him. They’re OK with him striking them out. You
can talk all you want about one pitch or whatever they say, but to
be able to put it where he wants to, with all that adrenaline, is
beyond me.”

His demeanor, as much as his accomplishments, have earned him
respect throughout the game, from teammates, to opponents, to
retired players, to media.

“He’s the consummate professional. He acts the way guys should
act,” Gossage said. “Kids should take a page out of his book on how
to act on the mound, not acting like fools jumping up and down,
showing hitters up.”

Rivera, quiet and reserved in the clubhouse and on the field,
shows hitters up quite enough with his pitches. He didn’t even
throw the cut fastball until after he replaced John Wetteland as
the Yankees’ closer in 1997. He was playing around on the side with
teammate Ramiro Mendoza, experimenting, when the ball started
swerving like crazy.

Mendoza said the ball became too unpredictable to catch.

“I don’t want to play catch with him no more,” Mendoza added.
“Too much hurting.”

Rivera came up to the Yankees in 1995, making 10 starts and nine
appearances out of the bullpen. Who could have foreseen what was
getting started on May 17, 1996, when the Angels’ Garret Anderson
grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, ending an 8-5 Yankees’ win that
gave Rivera his first big league save?

Now Rivera is viewed as an almost mythical figure, almost as if
“The Great” is a part of his name.

Mientkiewicz, 0 for 7 against Rivera in his career (regular and
postseason), tells stories about Rivera that define hitters’
frustrations. After making out in his first five plate appearances
against him, Mientkiewicz became tired of using his own bats.

“When I got to Boston in 2004, I started using Billy Mueller’s
bats,” Mientkiewicz said. “I didn’t want to break my good ones _ my
gamers, I’d call them _ because I knew I was going to break
them.”

Mientkiewicz developed his own approach.

“If you swing at the first one and foul it off, do not even
attempt to swing at the second because it’s going to be the one
that’s basically called the ‘neck ball,’” he said. “It’s the one
that rides up and in on you. And if you swing, not only do you miss
it, you get hit in the Adam’s apple, and you embarrass your
family.”

In Game 4 of the 2004 AL championship series, Mientkiewicz pinch
hit just after Mueller tied the score with a ninth-inning single.
Told to sacrifice, he laid down a bunt. He says the ball hit a
finger, that it should have been called a foul. But he made sure
the umpires didn’t notice.

“It was so cold, and it hurt so bad going down the line that I
wasn’t going to show it. If it’s a foul ball, I have to face him
again. I was like, `No way. I’m just running to first. I don’t care
if my nail is falling off and I’m bleeding all over the place. If I
had to do that again, I don’t think that’s humanly possible.’”

That night was one of just five blown saves in the postseason
for Rivera _ to go along with 72 in the regular season. Opponents’
batting average, a minuscule .210 during the regular season,
shrinks to .176 in the postseason.

Edgar Martinez, who spent 18 seasons with the Seattle Mariners
before retiring in 2004, has the highest average against Rivera for
anyone with at least 10 at-bats, going 11 for 19 (.579) with two
homers, including the playoffs. Martinez got nine hits in his first
11 at-bats against him.

“He worked the outside part of the plate. My approach is middle
away,” he said. “I was effective about using 20 inches of the bat.
As a right-handed hitter, it was easier compared to the
left-handers. They see this ball in the middle of the plate end up
in their hands.”

Rivera took notice of Martinez’s success.

“He mentioned it himself. I remember he made a comment,”
Martinez recalled. “It was at an All-Star game.”

While Rivera is a 12-time All-Star, he prefers to be thought of
more as a five-time World Series champion. And in 1998, 1999, 2000
and 2009, he was on the mound for the final out.

Talk to most players, and they will tell you that Rivera has
been the most important stripe forming the pinstriped dynasty of
the 1990s and 2000s. More than Derek Jeter. More than Andy
Pettitte. More than Jorge Posada. More than Bernie Williams.

There is no equal.

“It’s a huge psychological advantage when you’ve got a guy like
Mariano and a great setup corps,” Gossage said, “to know that it’s
a six-inning ballgame. You’ve got the lead, and it’s over.”

In the 2009 postseason, Boston’s Jonathan Papelbon, Minnesota’s
Joe Nathan, the Angels’ Brian Fuentes, Colorado’s Huston Street,
the Cardinals’ Ryan Franklin and the Dodgers’ Jonathan Broxton all
blew save chances.

Rivera?

He went 5 for 5. Philadelphia’s Brad Lidge, with three saves,
was the only other closer without a blemish.

“That is so incredible. To be able to do it at that level, with
that pressure. Try to do it in that environment, in New York, with
them expecting to go to the playoffs every year,” Eckerlsey said.
“He’s made differently. There’s a calm to him. And because of that,
there’s a calm to the team.”

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SEATTLE — Unheralded Luis Rodriguez put Mariano Rivera’s pursuit of the major league saves record on hold.

And he kept the New York Yankees from expanding their lead on Boston in the AL East.

Rodriguez led off the bottom of the 12th inning with a solo homer off New York reliever Cory Wade, and the Mariners delayed Rivera’s chase for the saves record with a 2-1 win over the Yankees on Wednesday night.

Rodriguez, who doubled in his previous two at-bats, golfed a 2-1 pitch from Wade (5-1) into the right field seats and sent the Yankees off to Toronto looking to get Rivera career save No. 601 on Friday night against the Blue Jays.

New York also missed on a chance to gain another game on the slumping Red Sox after Boston lost at home to Toronto 5-4. The Yankees lead in the AL East remained at four games.

“We lost a lot of one-run games on this trip and that’s the hard part,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “We lot three games by one run each. But our club has been pretty good to win two out of three. You’ve got to keep doing that.”

Much of the night was spent waiting to see if Rivera would get his shot at tying Trevor Hoffman’s major league record, a night after becoming just the second pitcher in baseball history to reach 600 saves. And the Yankees bullpen did their part, going 3 1-3 scoreless inning and avoiding trouble on multiple occasions waiting for New York’s offense to score a run and give Rivera the opportunity to pitch for 601.

It never came. Wade left a change up over the plate and Rodriguez made him pay.

“It’s rough. Everybody has gone out and contributed and did what they needed to do and it came down to me and I made a mistake and it got hit out of the ball park,” Wade said. “He did just what he’s supposed to do with that pitch.”

The Yankees only offense came from Nick Swisher’s 23rd homer in the top of the seventh inning that ended a strong start from Seattle’s Jason Vargas.

The Yankees had other moments taken away by the Mariners defense. Ichiro Suzuki robbed Curtis Granderson of extra bases with a leaping catch on the warning track in the top of the ninth. Michael Saunders robbed Mark Teixeira of at least a double and possible a homer with his leaping catch just in front of the wall in deep right-center field to end the 11th.

And rookie Trayvon Robinson made a difficult catch on a tough liner to judge off Brett Gardner’s bat to end the 12th. Robinson’s catch helped make a winner out of Seattle reliever Steve Delabar (1-0), who was a substitute teacher earlier during the baseball season before being signed by the Mariners. It was his first major league victory.

But the biggest defensive play came early when Seattle’s Mike Carp was the beginning of a relay to throw out Andruw Jones at the plate trying to score on Eduardo Nunez’s double in the third inning.

“It looked like (Granderson) had a game-winner and it looked like (Teixeira) had one,” Girardi said. “It just wasn’t meant to be.”

While the Yankees missed out on the sweep, they did get an impressive showing from Nova, who was equal to Vargas. Nova threw 7 1-3 innings and gave up just five hits. Seattle’s only run off Nova came in the fourth when Carp scored after Nova saw a 1-2 pitch to Miguel Olivo slip and sailed behind Olivo’s head. Russell Martin did his best, but the pitch glanced off Martin’s glove and bounced far enough away from the plate to let Carp score.

“It was a curve ball that fell out of my hand a little bit,” Nova said. “It’s going to happen sometimes.”

Derek Jeter’s two-out, two-strike single in the sixth inning snapped a streak of 10 straight Yankees set down and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. It also gave him 150 hits for the season, his 16th straight season with at least 150 hits. It’s tied Jeter with Pete Rose for the second longest streak in baseball history with 150 hits. Hank Aaron holds the mark with 17 consecutive seasons of 150 hits.

NOTES: Seattle 1B Justin Smoak left the game in the fourth inning with a mild right groin strain. He was replaced by Kennedy. … The Yankees decided not to have 3B Alex Rodriguez participate in batting practice on Wednesday, but the plan remains to have Rodriguez back in the lineup on Friday night in Toronto, Girardi said. … Seattle SS Brendan Ryan missed Wednesday’s game with a sore upper back that forced him to leave Tuesday’s game early. … … Both New York and Seattle have off days on Thursday. The Yankees open a three-game series in Toronto on Friday, while Seattle hosts Texas. … LHP CC Sabathia will start the series opener in Toronto.

UPDATE: Justin Smoak left the game with a mild right groin strain. He’s day-to-day.

We’re now midway through the 10th after another sharp relief performance by Tom Wilhelmsen.

The Mariners had their chances in the eighth, but Kyle Seager popped out with a runner on third and Dustin Ackley took a called third strike at the knees.

Eight more strikeouts for the M’s so far.

9:12 p.m.: Nick Swisher tied the game with a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning, chasing Jason Vargas with two out.

Jamey Wright finished the inning tied 1-1, then pitched the M’s through the top of the eighth after pinch-runner Brett Garner made it to third base with two out.

8:21 p.m.: The Mariners grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth after there were two out and none on. Mike Carp walked, then headed to third on a single to right by Adam Kennedy.

Carp then scored when Ivan Nova uncorked a wild pitch.

8:05 p.m.: Three and a half innings in and we’re still scoreless, thanks to a good play in the left field corner by Mike Carp. Andruw Jones was on first base when Eduardo Nunez doubled to left. Jones was waved around third, but Carp made a nice relay to shortstop Luis Rodriguez, who gunned the runner down at home.

Justin Smoak left the game in the top of the fourth, replaced by Adam Kennedy. We’ll have the info on why as soon as the team makes it available.

7:04 p.m.: Seattle tries to salvage the series finale tonight without striking out in double figures. That’s been a problem of late, as we’ve all discussed at great length.

This is the kind of matchup that never looks very good for Jason Vargas on paper. Let’s see whether he can surprise us, as he’s done a couple of times this year versus Philadelphia and Texas.

The lineups:

Mariners (61-87)
——————————-
51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) RF
15 Kyle Seager (L) 3B
13 Dustin Ackley (L) 2B
20 Mike Carp (L) LF
17 Justin Smoak (S) 1B
30 Miguel Olivo C
29 Wily Mo Pena DH
1 Luis Rodriguez (S) SS
12 Trayvon Robinson (S) CF
——————————-
38 Jason Vargas LHP

Yankees (90-57)
——————————-
2 Derek Jeter SS
14 Curtis Granderson (L) CF
25 Mark Teixeira (S) 1B
24 Robinson Cano (L) 2B
33 Nick Swisher (S) RF
63 Jesus Montero DH
18 Andruw Jones LF
55 Russell Martin C
26 Eduardo Nunez 3B
——————————-
47 Ivan Nova RHP

SEATTLE, Sept. 14 (UPI) — Mariano Rivera earned his 600th career save, and his 41st of the season, by nailing down the New York Yankees’ 3-2 win over Seattle Tuesday.

Rivera gave up a hit but struck out two Mariners in the ninth to move within one save of Trevor Hoffman’s all-time record and extend New York’s winning streak to three games.

Robinson Cano homered in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie and finished the game with two RBI. Jesus Montero had two hits and scored a run.

A.J. Burnett (9-11) struck out 11 while allowing two runs on four hits over six innings. His victory was his first since Aug. 15.

Miguel Olivo and Brendan Ryan drove in the Seattle runs after New York had taken a 2-0 lead in the second inning.

Charlie Furbush (3-8) took the loss after allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out six over 5 1/3 innings.