After his final outing at Yankee Stadium, Mariano Rivera took one more trip to the mound.
It came after the Yankees lost to the Rays 4-0 — after he was summoned in the eighth inning to get out of a jam and then left with two outs in the top of the ninth to another long ovation in The Bronx.
He walked back to the mound by himself, dug his cleat into the dirt near the rubber and bent over to grab some dirt.
“I wanted to collect some dirt and stay there for the last time,” Rivera said. “Knowing I’m not going to be here no more, especially pitching. Maybe throwing out a first pitch one day, but I won’t be competing there [anymore].”
Despite the score and the fact their playoff chances ended the previous night, a rare packed house roared Thursday night as the recorded voice of Bob Sheppard announced Rivera’s name, Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blared and Rivera jogged in for the last time at Yankee Stadium.
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The Rays and Yankees joined the crowd of 48,675 — all of whom seemed to stay for the final outs — on its feet and Rivera delivered.
Delmon Young sent a line drive to left-center, where Zoilo Almonte raced over to make the catch for the second out of the eighth. He then got Sam Fuld on a comebacker to end the inning, leaving to a standing ovation.
And after Yunel Escobar popped out to Robinson Cano for the second out of the top of the ninth, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte walked to the mound to remove Rivera. Joe Girardi had asked crew chief Mike Winters for permission for the unorthodox move before the ninth.
The closer broke down in tears as he hugged Pettitte before finally walking off the mound to a long ovation, tipping his cap to the fans. He eventually came out for a curtain call, pushed out of the dugout by Alex Rodriguez.
“He didn’t say anything at first and I didn’t expect for him to be quite so emotional,” Pettitte said. “He broke down, gave me a bear hug and I bear-hugged him back. He was really crying. He was weeping. … I felt like he didn’t want to let go.”
And he didn’t look like he wanted to leave.
After the Yankees were finished in the ninth, the 12th time they’ve been shut out this season, Rivera sat by himself on the bench before heading out to the mound.
Between innings, Rivera uncharacteristically sat in the trainers’ room, not on the bench.
“I had to regain my composure,” Rivera said. “Everything started hitting me. Flashbacks from the minors and the majors, all the way through this run.”
A run that ended prematurely, with Rivera missing the playoffs for just the second time in his career.
So it probably shouldn’t have been surprising the Yankees were unable to hand Rivera a lead in the ninth.
Ivan Nova (9-6) surrendered just two runs in seven innings, but in a constant theme from much of this season, the offense provided no support.
A two-run single by Evan Longoria in the eighth off Dellin Betances gave Tampa Bay a 4-0 lead and erased virtually any chance of Rivera picking up another save at home.
The Yankees had only a first-inning single from Eduardo Nunez, a walk in the second by Curtis Granderson and a walk by Cano in the seventh off Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb.
While he figures to pitch again during the upcoming three-game series in Houston — and perhaps even play center field for an inning — many will likely try to remember him simply finishing at the Stadium.
“I wish the score would have been different,” David Robertson said. “But it was a great ending for Mariano Rivera at the Stadium. He got everything he deserved.”