Rivera Sets Record Before New Yankee Stadium's Smallest Crowd

Yankees P Mariano Rivera set the all-time MLB saves record yesterday at 602 with a 1-2-3 ninth inning against the Twins in front of an announced attendance of 40,045 at Yankee Stadium, the "smallest crowd in the life of the new stadium" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 9/20). The actual attendance was "nowhere near" as large as the announced figure. Still, StubHub reported a "surge of interest in tickets before the game because fans were aware that Rivera was on the verge of a record" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/20). The lower attendance was due in part to the fact that this was a make-up game for an April cancellation (THE DAILY). 

MLB runs a full-page ad in this morning's USA Today congratulating Rivera for breaking Trevor Hoffman's record. The ad bears the MLB logo and the signature of Commissioner Bud Selig (THE DAILY).