NEW YORK -- The flashing lights from cameras illuminated Yankee Stadium throughout Monday night's contest against the White Sox.

Fans clicked to capture moments at the ballpark in its final days and hoped to get a lasting memory of Derek Jeter passing Lou Gehrig's all-time hit record at the Cathedral.

But in the ninth inning, it was Mariano Rivera who quietly went about his business on the mound and retired three straight Chicago hitters to move up in the record books in the Yankees' 4-2 victory. Rivera earned his 36th save of the season and 479th of his career to surpass Lee Smith for sole possession of second place on baseball's all-time list.

Rivera worked quickly, recording three groundouts to notch his third consecutive save. The crowd stood cheering as Rivera sealed the win and left the field with his teammates. While much of the focus has centered around Jeter closing in on a milestone, the Yankees' shortstop said Rivera's contributions should be getting the attention.

"I'm so happy for Mo," Jeter said. "That's what people should be talking about, because his consistency throughout the years is second to none. He deserves everything he gets. A lot of times, I think he goes unnoticed in terms of the attention because people take him for granted, but we definitely don't take him for granted. I'm happy that I've been here to see all of it."

Rivera's consistency is demonstrated through his numbers. The Yankees' closer is 36 for 37 with an 0.68 ERA in save opportunities this season. The 38-year-old has built a reputation for excellence during his 13-year career, and his abilities have not weakened.

"There's not a lot of guys that are up in this territory," manager Joe Girardi said of Rivera's achievement. "It just tells you how great he's been, and it takes a long time to get 479 saves, and most closers don't have that shelf life.

"Mo's so consistent in what he does. A lot of times, people don't talk about Mo as an athlete when Mo's a great athlete, and that's why he's able to do what he does."

But after a historic save during the final week at Yankee Stadium, Rivera was relatively subdued in the clubhouse following the game.

"It's all right," he said. "We won. That's the most important thing."

Girardi said Rivera's focus has never been on individual statistics, and he's not the type of player to get caught up in the moment. Rivera echoed those comments when he said he would be able to enjoy the accomplishment more if the team was in the heat of a pennant race.

"With due respect to the game, it's OK to me, but to me, that isn't what it's about -- it's about winning," he said. "I'm a team player, and I'm not really thinking about myself, and that's the way it's going to be."