Following a brilliant season where he led all of baseball with 57 saves — most of them protecting the slimmest of leads — Mariners closer Edwin Diaz has earned the top relief pitching honor.
Before Game 4 of the World Series in Los Angeles, Major League Baseball announced that Diaz was has been named the 2018 Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year, which is given to the season’s top reliever in the American League.
The award was introduced by MLB in 2013 following Rivera’s retirement. Past winners include: Craig Kimbrel (2017 with the Red Sox), Zach Britton (2016 with the Orioles), Andrew Miller (2015 with the Yankees), Greg Holland (2014 with the Royals).