(AP Photo/YES Network)
The Yankees held their breath and said a quick prayer after closer Mariano Rivera collapsed on the Kauffman Stadium warning track while shagging flyballs during batting practice before last night’s 4-3 loss to the Royals.
According to manager Joe Girardi, Rivera suffered a torn ACL of his right knee. Rivera underwent an MRI exam last night at Kansas University Med West Hospital during the game.
“That’s about as bad as it gets,” Girardi said after the game. “You lose a Hall of Famer it changes [the bullpen] a lot. We like the depth of our bullpen and it just got a little bit shorter. We’ll have to find a way to get through it.”
Rivera was examined at the stadium by medical personnel from both the Yankees and Royals, including Kansas City team physician Joseph Noland. He will be sent back to New York to be examined by Yankees team physicians.
The 42-year-old, who routinely shags flies before games, was going after a ball in center field hit by newly called up outfielder Jayson Nix when his knee appeared to give out. He stumbled and then crashed into the wall. Rivera fell to the ground and could be seen grabbed his leg and writhing on the warning track dirt in obvious pain.
Near home plate Alex Rodriguez, who was awaiting his turn in the bating cage, could be seen saying, “Oh, my God. Oh, my God,’’ as he saw Rivera go down. Meanwhile, concerned teammates gathered around the reliever as the team’s trainers and manager Joe Girardi rushed out to tend to him.
A cart was quickly summoned and the game’s all-time saves leader, who was unable to put any weight on the leg or get on the cart without help, was lifted onto the vehicle by Girardi, bullpen coach Mike Harkey and fellow reliever Rafael Soriano.
Monday was the nine-year anniversary of Rivera’s most recent stint on the disabled list and, while David Robertson has been splendid in the eighth-inning role, losing Rivera for any stretch would be a crushing blow for a team that already has lost Michael Pineda for the season due to shoulder surgery and Joba Chamberlain to a dislocated right ankle suffered during a spring training mishap on a trampoline.
There is no timetable for the return of Chamberlain, who is also still rehabbing his elbow after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June.
Rivera, who strongly hinted during spring training this season, his 18th in the majors, may be his last but said he wasn’t ready to reveal his decision, has appeared in nine games and is 1-1 with a 2.16 ERA.
He has converted five of his six save opportunities, bringing his lifetime total to a major league record 608, not counting the postseason, when he has saved an additional 42 games as perhaps the most integral part of five Yankees’ world championship teams.
Relying almost exclusively on his lethal cutter, Rivera has a lifetime mark of 76-58 with a 2.21 ERA. In the postseason, he has been even more effective with an 8-1 mark and a 0.70 ERA.
He has been among the game’s most durable pitchers during his career, which began when he was called up from Triple-A Columbus as a starter in 1995. He has made at least 60 appearances in 14 different seasons, a major league record.
Shagging flies is nothing new to Rivera, considered one of the best athletes on the team, and has been a part of his pregame ritual since he came to the majors.
george.king@nypost.com