THURSDAY: Rivera told reporters that he plans to return to baseball, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. "I am coming back. Write it down in big letters. … I'm not going out like this," said the closer.
WEDNESDAY, 11:40pm: Mariano Rivera appears to have suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters after tonight's 4-3 loss in Kansas City. Rivera suffered the injury while chasing a fly ball during batting practice earlier today, a pre-game ritual that Rivera has undertaken throughout his entire career. The ace closer will consult with doctors tomorrow in New York and, if the initial diagnosis is confirmed, Rivera will miss the rest of the 2012 season.
Speculation has already begun that Rivera's career could be over, as the right-hander had hinted during Spring Training that this would be his final season. A disconsolate Rivera told reporters (including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch and Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan) that he wasn't sure if he would ever pitch again and that he would first have to get through the rehab process before deciding if he could continue as a Major Leaguer. It's hard to imagine that Rivera would allow his legendary career to end in such ignominious fashion, and yet, as Bob Klapisch points out (Twitter link), Rivera could also see his injury as a sign that it's time to leave the sport.
Needless to say, Rivera's injury is a huge blow to both the Yankees and, if his career is indeed over, to baseball as a whole. For now, David Robertson or Rafael Soriano will have big shoes to fill as New York's next closer. The Yankees could also now explore the trade market for relief pitching or explore such options as moving Phil Hughes back to the bullpen.
Devastating. I don’t want Ro or So to close. That’s been Mos spot for the past 15 years. It should end on his terms, not an injury like this.
It’s bad but don’t assume he’s done. Just be a fan and hold out some hope – even if it’s just a teeny bit. It’s not over yet! 🙂
I can’t imagine him ending his career like this, he’s too much of a competitor. Speedy recovery, Mo.
I’m a yankee hater, but Mo has always been a class act. I hope he gets to come back and leave later on his terms.
Ro or So??? Abbreviations really needed there? Anyway I don’t see why you wouldn’t want Robertson to close, he will most likely be the heir to the closer role and he’s been lights out. On the other hand I think they should use Soriano to close since he has plenty of experience in that role and he is insanely overpaid as a reliever. He can make up some value if he can close well.
now this is a mute point. Be glad that Mo said that he is not going out this way and will be back.
Since this is Mariano and he has a very strong work ethic , I trust that he will do everything he can to come back. It ain’t over , yet folks.
Sad way to go out.
I’d have imagined he would go out by closing out the World Championship game.
Anyways, good luck. Hope he heals soon. One of the few Yankees I really liked.
Really a shame to hear/see this. I was just watching the video and to see any player, let a lone a future hall of famer full to the ground in agony is tough to watch. Even worse is knowing that this is potentially the end for him.
On the other hand though, I’m kind of excited to see how David Robertson responds to being the closer and how the Yankee bullpen itself responds to not having Rivera back there.
Wish Mariano Rivera the best in his recovery.
I’m a Rays fan and hate the Yanks by default but I don’t like this at all. If we wanna be the best, we have to beat the best and I’m not going to count just beating him on opening day. We have to beat Mo in mid season form, just like teams should have to beat Longoria to beat the Rays. The baseball gods are angry lately and especially at closers.
it is kind of strange that pitchers and closers seem to be dropping like flies.
Without sounding bad here.. The reliever market is tight already.. Epstein has Marmol, but he can’t even get the job done there without tightrope jobs.. How could he do it in the AL East?
Severe blow to the game though. Hoffman at least was able to dictate when he left. Rivera might do himself a disservice if major surgery is required and then tries to play another full season.. What a blow to himself and the legacy.
hoffman was sooooo washed up when he when he retired, pathetic…idk how you can even put them in the same category. rivera was the greatest closer of all time..
Was? No, IS…he is injured, not dead.
It’s not a blow to his legacy, which is incomparable. It’s a terrific blow to his team’s and our (Yankee fans) psyche. He’s always been there, ready with excellence when needed, and he’s done it with class. Rare qualities not easily replaced.
So…in house with Robertson or Soriano, or is Jeff Luhnow one of the happier men in Texas this morning?
If I had to bet, the happiest man in the country is Scott Boras, because this probably means Soriano gets a shot at least half the time, which enhances his value. I don’t think the Yankees are going to go outside in a major way, although they could look to improve around the edges with a trade.
only way i see soriano getting the shot at being closer is if robertson does horrible. although its his first time being full time closer it isnt his first time closing out a game, he has done it a few times before in the last two years and did a good job at it when mo is resting a day. then again coming in two or three times a year to close out a game doesnt have the same kind of pressure as having to come in every game or every other game to close out games. not that it matters right now anyway because their offense isnt even hitting the ball.
it really isn’t a blow to his legacy imo. he can still decide after the injury and recovery whether to come back and pitch; by all means, he’s still got it. he’s still leaving on his own terms.
You might be able to swing a deal with the Braves- they have 4 guys who are closers in their pen, and some needs.
I’d aim for O’Flaherty, that’s the guy the Braves are most likely to deal- he’d be a 1-yr rental though. They’re not giving up Venters or Kimbrel. Medlen’s another possibility, but you’d likely have to overpay for him.
Isn’t really a point, They got Soriano, and Robertson that can both close out the games. Being a closer is overrated, It is not that much harder to pitch the 9th over the 8th. It is all about who is hitting, I would have them work together, and robertson get the harder inning on a particular day.
RIP the HOF career of Mariano Rivera. Truely one of the greatest ever to pitch a ball in this game.
What a way to go out…
So weird that a guy who hasn’t been hurt in YEARS is finished while doing something harmless
It obviously wasn’t harmless!
He is not the first to get hurt shagging fly balls. I don’t remember anything this serious though. Tried to google some but the first 10 pages are all about MO.
Dang, this isn’t how his career should end ;_;
I HATE the Yankees with a passion but wow, I felt sad upon seeing this post. I have so much respect for Mariano, what a diligent, classy professional he has always been. I wish him much happiness in life.
Even as a Red Sox fan who roots for anyone who beats the yanks I hate to see this happen to a true icon. Rivera has been one of the rare players in history who’s going to be remembered for as long as baseball is played.
Good luck Mo. I honestly hope to see you on the mound again, even if it is in pinstripes.
All of us the last 16 years witnessed the greatest relief pitcher and greatest postseason pitcher in history. He was one of hte classiest men in all of baseball. It doesn’t matter if he played for the “Evil Empire”, it’s a sad thing when a first ballot future HOFer ends his career (while still actually doing well at it), due to injury.
If this was the end for him, then real Yankee fans (and baseball fans) can’t thank this guy enough for all he’s done.
If your career is over Mo, it sucks it had to end this way, but #42 will always be #1
In the same boat as most of the other comments here. As much as I hate the Yankees, this brings me no joy. I hope he finds a way to end this gracefully, and I’ll enjoy his HOF induction in 5-6 years.
Well I am anything but a Yanks fan but always appreciated and respected Mariano. I would wish for something better for him. Much better.
In case this is it for you Mariano, thanks for showing us what the ultimate closer looks like. We will probably never see anything like you again!
Jayson Nix makes quite an impact on his first day with the Yankees…
Most facepalm-worthy injury: esteemed closer shagging fly balls during BP vs. the Kendrys Morales post-homer celebration injury?
All that aside, what a shame. As a Red Sox fan, I’ve always like Mariano, no matter how frustrating his cutter has been for our hitters.
Morales still.
I obviously don’t follow the Yankees everyday but from most reports Mariano shags fly balls every day like most pitchers/players do.
Yeah but he was clearly trying to get all flashy, with the wall and stuff.
I didn’t think he was trying to be flashy…. he fell into the wall when he hurt his knee.
I highly doubt that at the age of 42, one month into the season, in Kansas City, that Mariano was trying to get all flashy. He may have been reaching to catch the ball, like I’m sure he has done thousands of times previously. Nothing unusual about what he was doing.
Neither. Bad luck got them on both incidents; Kendrys is not the only player to celebrate a walk-off homer, a grandslam nonetheless, in that fashion. It just so happened that it had to be Kendrys who would break his leg. Same for Rivera; he’s been shagging these fly balls for years and you could even argue that it is what gives him a weapon that is essentially to closing, confidence, so it was not a dumb decision as he had no reason to assume he would get injured.
Now a real facepalm-worthy injury would be Amare Stoudemire punching the glass case of a fire extinguisher. That was just a dumb move all around.
Now a real facepalm-worthy injury would be Amare Stoudemire punching the glass case of a fire extinguisher.
Yeah – and that’s putting it mildly. Now that his team is officially
eliminated, if I were him I’d avoid reading any “fan mail” I might
receive for the next…oh, say…ten years…
Conversely, the “get well soon” wishes will be piling up for Mariano indefinitely whether he comes back or not.
If you want real facepalm—one of the Gramatica brothers (I forget if it was Bill or Martin) celebrate a routine field goal with heavy vigor—and tore his ACL in the process.
As for other baseball boneheads—just don’t give John Smoltz an iron while he has a wrinkled shirt.
Was thinking last night and couldn’t remember the name… AS pitcher took line drive to the head in the OF, supposedly out shagging flyballs, but was talking to someone instead. It was years ago.
Another long ingrained habit that needs to just go away (pitchers shagging flyballs) That particular manager even ceased having his pitchers doing it for a year or 2 with the line drive incident.. Wish could recall that SP name…
Wasn’t that Beckett last year?
Edit: Yeah, it was Beckett in spring training last year. I can’t post a link, but google “Beckett hit in head” and you’ll see it.
Thanks.. I see that now also..
The one I am thinking of the guy missed considerable time from getting drilled. Now that you mention it here Maine.. Beckett was lolly gollying as well shagging balls.. If pitchers are going to do the time honored tradition of shagging balls during BP.. They should pay attention. Sure it may get boring out there and stop to chat, but one guy should pay attention to the hitter while several chat in a group.
Better yet.. Have the pitchers run instead of shag and do drills with a coach hitting fungos.
You have probably watched them during ST when they are shagging while taking BP going back to what was saying earlier and in a group.. One guy generally is “posted up” and paying attention.. This should be mandatory if they are going to do something so.. Word that cannot be posted here and allow themselves to get injured with a batted ball.
How about Canseco? His 1993 season ended shortly after throwing 33 pitches against the Red Sox in the 8th inning of a 15-1 blowout. Some might credit manager Kennedy for the injury Canseco suffered, but rumors were, if I recall correctly, that Jose had been eager to take the mound for some time. Also, for what it’s worth, the pitching injury happened just 3 days after the off-the-head-homerun incident in RF… that’s gotta count for something.
Burnett taking a ball to the eye during batting practice is pretty facepalm-worthy, but he wasn’t sidelined for the season from that.
Wow. Sucks its gotta be like this.
Get well soon Mo. Worst of luck to whoever replaces him.
Very unfortunate. On the bright side, he can now devote his full attention to helping people finish their chalupas at Taco Bell.
Off to never never land.
but seriously mo, you were an incredible pitcher and someone it’s truly impossible to dislike as a baseball fan. it would have been awesome to see you leave with another ring, but legends live forever.
I think Mo maybe the most likeable player in baseball. He’s dominant and respectable in all facets. I hope he recovers but you wonder if he has any interest to play again at this point.
There’s no way he goes out like this … He’ll be back.
I agree. He is the terminator of the 9th inning.
I’m not a Yankee fan, but I do not want to see Mariano going out like this. Still, it’s probably not worth going through all the rehab to try and come back for the principle of going out on his own terms. Sounded like this year was probably it for him. Class act all the way.
Awful news for the game of baseball. Absolute shame if it ends his career. Would have loved to have known ahead of time when the last time I would ever see Mariano take the mound was and soak it all in one last time.
He’s a machine. They’ll lube him up and he’ll be back tomorrow.
Seriously though, you don’t want to see this with anyone. Hopefully he can come back at some point in 2013.
It was nice to read that even those who dislike the Yankees have said nothing but good things about Mariano. He is truly what baseball is about. He plays hard and shows respect to all those play the game with him. He is the greatest closer the game has had. I hope he heals up and can take the mound again. Get well soon Mo.
Add me to the list of Red Sox fans hoping he comes back for a proper swansong season next year, with a guest start in CF in September.
well, this sucks to say the least….
Exit Sandman. Enter night. We’re off to never-never land.
Tragic. My heart sunk when I read the words “torn ACL”. I can’t believe this may be how it ends. I really hope he can come back and give us all a real swan song of a year in 13.
there shouldnt be a single person who makes fun of him or talks trash about him right now. IF THERE IS he should be banned from this site for ever. Plain and simple this is bad for baseball. We all have been lucky enough to watch him for years with one pitch assure him self a spot in the hall as the best ever at his position. This is a truly sad day for baseball let alone the yankees ad their fan base….its never good to see players go out like this and if this is his career its a real shame. I’m a whitesox fan and I always wanted to go to a sox yankees game and actually see them be losing going into the 9th so I could see MO but alas I might not see this…either way good luck MO and come back soon!
Sad to see Mo go out that way. Next stop…Cooperstown.
Mets fan here. Hate to see the legends of the game go, just look at the careers that ended in the last 5 years, Griffey, Piazza, Maddux, Smoltz, Bonds, etc. Hell I’m even sad to see Chipper go to, he’s the only one left from all those 90’s battles. It’s like my childhood’s fading. Something tells me Mo comes back though.
A Jake peavy makes too much sense right now. He seemed to be back to jake peavy form. The sox I’m sure will be willing to eat money to get better prospects. Move Hughes back to the pen and let jake pitch behind cc. Get something done Kenny and Brian.
Gutted to see this. Hope its not the end. Greatest closer ever, heck one of the greatest players ever. Classy guy too.
But machines don’t get injured. They can’t just go re-fit that knee part or something?
In all seriousness though, hopefully he returns; if he wants to, that is.
It ain’t over ’til it’s over.
I had the same injury in 2004 when I was 39 and with the advances in ACL replacement, I was on a cane AND in therapy in about 2 weeks.
Mo’s a conditioned professional athlete … he’ll be back
If his career ends at least he left the game doing what he loved. Shagging fly balls in the outfield.
He loved to shag.
I hate every Yankee player except Gardiner and Rivera. It is sad to see him finish his career this way.
The Yankees and their fans have been lucky to have such a great closer for all those years, as most teams never enjoy anything like that in terms of success. The future for the Yankees will be the same as the rest of us, with relatively ‘mortal’ closers
I’m not going to eulogize his career, because I think he’ll be back next year, just like Chipper Jones in 2010. HOF’ers don’t get carried off the field due to torn ACL’s, they come back, he’ll come back.
I want him to.
just move Hughes to the bullpen. Robertson has been the best reliever in baseball the last two years. You can give him the ball and see what happens.
I guess your not-a-fan-a-rivera.
I am a fan of Rivera but for the team, the guy makes an excellent point.
Terrible news and the way it happened….could happen to any pitcher shagging flyballs…which they all like to do.
The Morales injury was dumber but the stupidity of over celebrating Game Winning Homers…..just won’t end. In facts…the stupid getting stupider …like the Lawrie from TOR who jumped as high in the air as he could and then started taking off his jersey like the Hulk? Celebrating is fine but now this is getting NFL stupid with that. Throwing the helmet in the air….just over the top stupid and look at me.
Here’s to you walk off warriors who want to be world class jumpers as you break a leg in celebration.
NFL celebrations were the best. No idea how anyone had a problem with them, I loved them. I think the problem with celebrations in the MLB is that they celebrate a game in April like its game 7 of the World Series. A win is a win whether you hit a walk off or win by 10 runs…no reason to celebrate excessively over walk off hits unless its the playoffs or a very important game.
As a Yankee fan, and one who respects Mo and his career…I would not mind if he decided to call it a career. I just think that if he rehabbed and came back in 2013 anything less then his dominant self then the “is he washed, did the injury end his dominance?” media swarm would begin and that would be a more tragic way of ending his career IMO.
Mo….while ending with an injury isn’t the way you want to go out, just ride off into the sunset. I just don’t think he owes us anything more than he’s given us already. Unless the fire burns strong then don’t come back in 2013. We will just have to learn to go on w/o the “Sandman”.
Yanks…bring Mo back in the 1st home game of 2013 and let him throw out the 1st pitch and give him a special send off that he deserves.
I’m no fan of putting Hughes back into the bullpen, especially since the rest of the rotation is a little shaky. I still hold hopes Hughes can be a middle of rotation guy.
Make Soriano the closer and keep Robertson where he is for now. Call up Betances and let him work out the pen. Have him work CLOSELY with Sabathia and maybe one big man can help another big man work out his mechanics and and harness his immense talents.
If there was one thing that I really LOVED about Mo has nothing to do with his on-field accomplishment even though he had a spectacular career. I really, really admire this guys spirituality. I just think he’s an amazing man and if I can find the same path towards God and have as good as a relationship with God I can only imagine how at peace I would be with the things around me that might normally prove frustrating.
Even as a Red Sox fan, I feel so badly for Mo. You only can hope he rehabs this and comes back next year going out on top like he would have liked to this year. Very unfortunate injury and it couldn’t have happened to a greater guy in the game.
I rarely feel sympathy for athletes, many of them are divas who dont realize how good their lives are..
however, in watching mo’s interview after this, with his eyes swelled up and the first thought on his mind was that he let his team down? Geeze man, i know the term class act is thrown around a lot, but as a life long yankee hater, this guy makes it impossible not wish the absolute best for him.
Cash needs to pick up the phone and call NH about Hanrahan. As a logical Pirates fan we aren’t going to be there when the dust settles this year even in the weak central. And there is no way we are picking up an arb number next year somewhere around 8 million for a closer. Hammer has been slightly better than Bell and if his arb numbers plus 10% hold. The Buccos just won’t pay that for a closer. Can’t just give him away but this is a conversation that both sides need to have at this point.
Really a sad day if this is the way it has to end for one of the greatest pitchers of all time. I don’t know how long rehab takes for an ACL tear, so I don’t know if he could actually make it back for October, but I’ll be rooting for the Yankees to make the postseason if it means Mo gets to pitch again this season.
Let’s not get carried away. The Yankees didnt feel sorry for us when Buccholz, Youk, etc etc went down last year, and they certainly wont this year with our current injuries. I wish Mo the best, of course, but cmon man!
No, I absolutely mean it. If it means Mo gets to pitch again, I absolutely want them to make the post season. If he hadn’t been talking about retirement next year, or it was anyone other than Mo, I would feel differently.
Anyone think that K-Rod might be a target for the Yankees now?
Can K-Rod be traded yet?
If it was me, I would give David Robertson the first crack at closer.
@MaineSox:disqus – normal recovery is 6-8 months.
They have 3-4 better in-house options than him.
Even if he doesn’t return, Mo had a good run. He would be the first person to tell us this. He has climbed to the pinnacle in his craft. He had made more than enough money to last a lifetime. He has seen the world, many times over. He has fans, family and friends who admire him. What more can a 42-year old man ask for?
Seen the world? What?
This is not the way I wanted to see Mariano Rivera go out – on other than his own terms. This is like a anti-climax to his career…crashing down with the ripping of ligaments.
This is awful. I hope Mo takes a page out of Jamie Moyer’s book and decides to rehab it instead.
Wish him the best in his recovery! Hope to see him pitch again!
Am I the only who thought it was funny when he said “I love shagging” in the interview? Damn you Austin Powers!
Shagging is a fantastic pre-game workout.
Perfect scenario: Rivera comes back next year. Yankees meet the Red Sox in the ALCS in 2013. Rivera comes in to save the game. Score is 5-2, Papi coming up to bat and then boom grand slam Red Sox win! Then Rivera retires and calls the Red Sox his daddy.
Neither team will be in the ALCS this season or next, so Mo won’t have to worry about that happening.
Not sure why MB923’s comment was removed, but my response is: when my crystal ball gets in soon from Amazon i’ll be able to tell you everything you want to know. lol. I’m just giving him a hard time. The AL is a tough place to be in these days.
I think Yanks will make the obvious moves: Hughes to the pen to become the 7th inning man, Soriano takes over the 8th and DRob becomes the closer. This allows Phelps to develop into a reliable back-of-the-rotation starter and lets Hughes settle into the relief role he’s best suited for. Soriano really will have to lower his OBA before I’d just give him the set-up role. Picking up David Aardsma to rehab this year really seems like a good move now.
Depressing. I hope he can either make peace with hanging it up now, or defy the odds and fight his way back. If anyone can do it, it’s Mo.
Man on a mission. I pity the fool who dare stand on his way!
I’ll get hated on for this, but with all due respect to Mo, the coverage on this is really ridiculous. The media is acting like he passed away. Mo is a great guy, and the best closer ever, but seriously…he’ll be back next year.
If he weren’t in pinstripes he wouldn’t get this coverage. Will Thome get this coverage when he hangs it up? Did Pudge (one of the greatest catchers ever) get this coverage for retiring? Heck no.
Is Jim Thome the best 1B/DH in baseball history? I got nothing against Thome, but there resumes have no comparison. With the exception of his rookie season, Rivera has been flat out dominant every single year
Again, nothing against Thome or Pudge, but they both have been declining several years now. Both first ballot HOFerms no question.
I see your point, but at the same time being one of the best relievers ever doesn’t make him more valuable than a guy like Thome, who was an every day player once upon a time. I’ll credit Mo for being able to prolong his career for sure though.
I see your point as well. But every position player plays more games than any pitcher, starter or reliever. Doesn’t mean they are more useful or mean more to a team than a relief pitcher. I actually think comparing them all is apples to oranges
It is
Why should they get that coverage? Pudge and Thome are great players, both first ballot. They are NOT, however, on the All Time Team. Can you honestly say that Mo isn’t? In 140 years of baseball, he’s fairly high on the list of best players ever by almost any metric you care to come up with (and we in baseball are DARN good at coming up with arbitrary and arcane metrics to make our points). Can you seriously not see that is worth the fanfare?
Terrible. Mo is my favorite pro athlete of all time, in any sport.
Really? You’re a Twins fan and Mo is your favorite athlete of all time? Killebrew, or Blyleven, or Nathan, or Carew, or Mauer, or Puckett don’t do it for you? lol
We’re not all homers here. Sorry.
You don’t have to be a homer for your favorite player to play on the team you grew up with.