Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Rivera v Blue Jays in Toronto
.
9/18/13, Rivera in the ninth v Blue Jays, final 4-3 Yankees, ap (Rivera entered in the 8th, 2 outs and tying run on 2nd, came back in the 9th and finished, leaving runners at 2nd and 3rd).
"David Robertson got two outs in the eighth and Rivera finished it off for his 44th save in 51 chances.
Rivera entered to a standing ovation from the crowd of 24,247."...
9/18/13, "Yankees rally, beat Blue Jays 4-3," AP, Ian Harrison
9/18/13, Rivera and Chris Stewart after 4-3 win v Toronto Blue Jays, USATSI
"David Robertson got two outs in the eighth and Rivera finished it off for his 44th save in 51 chances. Rivera entered to a standing ovation from the crowd of 24,247.
"I don't think there's any arguing who the greatest relief pitcher of all time is and that's what I went with," Girardi said."...
"Yankees stage rally to topple Jays, end four-game skid," CBSSports.com wire reports
======================
9/18/13, Rivera transiting from the bullpen in Toronto Wednesday night, getty
9/19/13, "Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is a legend, but is stuck on a broken-down team in his final season," NY Daily News, Frank Isola, Toronto
"There are not a lot of players you can trust on this year's Yankees roster. That doesn't apply to the soon-to-be-retired closer."
"The end is near for Mariano Rivera, as painful as that is to write, much less comprehend. The greatest shame of all is that in his final curtain call, Mo got stuck on a broken-down, flawed Yankees team.
The 2013 Yankees are so unlike the teams of the late ’90s and early ’00s, with suspect starting pitching, inconsistent middle relief and far too many holes in the lineup.
There’s not a lot of guys on this team you can trust at this time of year. Rivera, of course, is different.
“Mo has been in this situation so many times,” Joe Girardi says. “You can talk about experience, experience, experience; that’s what he’s down there for.”
The Yankees are still breathing today because their bats finally came to life in the eighth inning of a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and because Girardi is squeezing every ounce from Rivera’s wonderful right arm before Mo walks off into the sunset.
Rivera doesn’t just own the ninth inning anymore. For the fourth time in September, he was asked to get more than three outs.
When the manager begins the night by talking about “must-win” games, you know he’s preparing to call on Rivera even if it means bringing him in with a runner on second and a 1-0 count to Brett Lawrie.
“We have to be prepared for that,” Rivera said of replacing David Robertson in the eighth. “I know this game is crucial. Everybody has to be ready because the call can come any time.”
Lawrie grounded out to end the inning, and Rivera had to work his way out of trouble in the ninth for his 44th save. Rivera allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning, but the Blue Jays made the fatal mistake of giving up an out by having Munenori Kawasaki attempt to bunt the runners over.
Think of it as Toronto’s first parting gift to Rivera one day before the scheduled pregame ceremony to honor him....
There is no telling how many appearances Rivera will make over the last 10 games. If the Yankees have a slim lead in the eighth inning, you can count on Rivera being up in the bullpen.
It’s the easiest decision he’ll ever have to make because soon he won’t have the chance to make it ever again. And that’s too bad."
.
9/18/13, Rivera and Cano after 4-3 win v Toronto, getty, via NYT
9/18/13, Rivera v Blue Jays, ap
9/18/13, Rivera in the ninth v Blue Jays, final 4-3 Yankees, ap (Rivera entered in the 8th, 2 outs and tying run on 2nd, came back in the 9th and finished, leaving runners at 2nd and 3rd).
"David Robertson got two outs in the eighth and Rivera finished it off for his 44th save in 51 chances.
Rivera entered to a standing ovation from the crowd of 24,247."...
9/18/13, "Yankees rally, beat Blue Jays 4-3," AP, Ian Harrison
9/18/13, Rivera and Chris Stewart after 4-3 win v Toronto Blue Jays, USATSI
"David Robertson got two outs in the eighth and Rivera finished it off for his 44th save in 51 chances. Rivera entered to a standing ovation from the crowd of 24,247.
"I don't think there's any arguing who the greatest relief pitcher of all time is and that's what I went with," Girardi said."...
"Yankees stage rally to topple Jays, end four-game skid," CBSSports.com wire reports
======================
9/18/13, Rivera transiting from the bullpen in Toronto Wednesday night, getty
9/19/13, "Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is a legend, but is stuck on a broken-down team in his final season," NY Daily News, Frank Isola, Toronto
"There are not a lot of players you can trust on this year's Yankees roster. That doesn't apply to the soon-to-be-retired closer."
"The end is near for Mariano Rivera, as painful as that is to write, much less comprehend. The greatest shame of all is that in his final curtain call, Mo got stuck on a broken-down, flawed Yankees team.
The 2013 Yankees are so unlike the teams of the late ’90s and early ’00s, with suspect starting pitching, inconsistent middle relief and far too many holes in the lineup.
There’s not a lot of guys on this team you can trust at this time of year. Rivera, of course, is different.
“Mo has been in this situation so many times,” Joe Girardi says. “You can talk about experience, experience, experience; that’s what he’s down there for.”
The Yankees are still breathing today because their bats finally came to life in the eighth inning of a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and because Girardi is squeezing every ounce from Rivera’s wonderful right arm before Mo walks off into the sunset.
Rivera doesn’t just own the ninth inning anymore. For the fourth time in September, he was asked to get more than three outs.
When the manager begins the night by talking about “must-win” games, you know he’s preparing to call on Rivera even if it means bringing him in with a runner on second and a 1-0 count to Brett Lawrie.
“We have to be prepared for that,” Rivera said of replacing David Robertson in the eighth. “I know this game is crucial. Everybody has to be ready because the call can come any time.”
Lawrie grounded out to end the inning, and Rivera had to work his way out of trouble in the ninth for his 44th save. Rivera allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning, but the Blue Jays made the fatal mistake of giving up an out by having Munenori Kawasaki attempt to bunt the runners over.
Think of it as Toronto’s first parting gift to Rivera one day before the scheduled pregame ceremony to honor him....
There is no telling how many appearances Rivera will make over the last 10 games. If the Yankees have a slim lead in the eighth inning, you can count on Rivera being up in the bullpen.
It’s the easiest decision he’ll ever have to make because soon he won’t have the chance to make it ever again. And that’s too bad."
.
9/18/13, Rivera and Cano after 4-3 win v Toronto, getty, via NYT
9/18/13, Rivera v Blue Jays, ap
