This sucks. There’s very simply no other way to put it. One of the more unique and exciting experiences I’ve had in my entire life was a few years ago in the old Yankee Stadium. I had the privilege of hearing Enter Sandman come across the PA system and watching Mariano Rivera jog into an important night game against the Boston Red Sox. Its chilling. Its awe inspiring. Its awesome. I’m absolutely devastated that no one will have the opportunity to watch the best relief pitcher of all time again this season, and maybe ever.
If somehow you didn’t hear, Mo tore his ACL shagging flies in the outfield in Kansas City before last night’s loss to the Royals. At 42, he is very likely out for the season and, because he hinted that this would be his last year, he might be done all together. This type of stupid freak injury couldn’t have happened to a nicer, better, more competitive, less deserving guy. I met Mariano about 10 years ago and though I was young and it was a long time ago, the impression he made has stuck with me. He seemed to truly love what he was doing. He appreciated the respect and admiration he received. And he couldn’t have been kinder or more humble about it. Universally, Mariano is a respected athlete.
Mo has gotten through his hall of fame career as a model of consistency. The 11 time All-Star has only has had only one season with less than 30 saves since he became the full time closer in 1997. Since 1996, Rivera has accumulated a major league record 608 saves, 6 top-10 Cy Young award finishes (including second once), and 5 World Series Championships. However, though Mo’s numbers are impressive (second all time in WHIP and first all time in ERA+), even more impressive is that he’s accomplished everything relying basically on 1 pitch, his cutter. It is perhaps the single most effective pitch in the history of baseball.
Though its fun to think about the times that switch hitters have hit right handed against Rivera to avoid breaking bats on his devastating cutter and the World series celebrations and the like, this article is not trying to be a retrospective of the career of the greatest closer ever. Instead, I’m trying to express how much, as a Yankee fan, Mariano Rivera means to me. From the very beginning of my conscious baseball watching days, Mo has been the closer for my team. Watching him play is an experience, whether its the important September game I alluded to before or a July afternoon against he Orioles. Watching Rivera is like watching history unfold. You know every time you see him that you are watching an all time great, someone you will tell people about one day. I imagine it is a lot like what it felt like to watch Michael Jordan play basketball. Rivera is the type of kind, unassuming guy that would make the perfect role model, it just so happens that he is also the most successful man ever at pitching the last inning of baseball games. And that is his appeal. He’s not rowdy and annoying like Jon Papelbon, he’s still himself on the mound. He’s just as competitive as Papelbon, but its almost in a more cerebral, more mature way. We, as Yankee fans, have learned to trust him. trust his cutter, trust that he knows what he’s doing better than anyone ever. And we are rarely disappointed.
That note, unfortunately, brings me to the issue what the team does from here. It almost seems like an aside. The loss of Rivera decimates the Yankees’ chances of living up to expectations this season. Think that’s an over reaction? Take a look at the Red Sox in the wake of the loss of Andrew Bailey. David Robertson was an All-Star last year. He also finished 11th in the Cy Young voting and even got an MVP vote. For about a year now, he has been the closer-in-waiting. Obviously, this is not how the transition was supposed to happen. I have faith in David and I think that he’ll do a great job but there will doubtlessly be bumps in the road. The Yanks will lose some games that they would have won with Mo in the back of the ‘pen. We just have to hope its not more than the team can overcome.
-Max Frankel
