Mariano Rivera winds up in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 9-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins yesterday. Rivera threw 12 pitches, nine of them for strikes, and retired all three batters he faced. (AP)
TAMPA — We could fill you in on Mariano Rivera’s spring debut or simply say “see previous seasons.”
Of all the staggering elements about Rivera, the most flabbergasting is that he remains the same as he ever was in a job that generally eats its young. The volume of pitches, the years of delivering that volume, the year of his birth, the stress of the role. None of it has derailed Rivera.
“I hope people appreciate what they are watching,” Alex Rodriguez said.
Rivera no longer throws in the offseason. He then does not pitch in games until, well, in this current case until yesterday. Yet, he again moved from mothballs to fastballs seamlessly.
It is not just that he went from inactivity to striking out the side in the sixth inning. It is not just that he could have hit a gnat from 60 feet, six inches (12 pitches, 10 strikes) against the Twins. It is not just that he already was throwing 90-92 mph. It is that he did all of this. In his first game action since last October. At age 41, he again went from zero to Mo Rivera in a blink.
“It felt like I could have been sitting on the couch with my eyes closed and my glove open and he would have hit it,” Russ Martin said.
Of course, we will have to see how he holds up at this age. It is not about March 13, after all. Especially for Rivera. Especially for the Yankees. Still, how could you not be awed by the seeming immortality of Rivera’s work?
Will he be good at 41? Well he was at 40. And 39, and 38 and . . . His brilliance is a metronome. Relentless. Ceaseless. Over and over. Since Rivera became a full-time closer in 1997, the major-leaguer leader in saves has included Randy Myers (1997), Antonio Alfonseca (2000), Eric Gagne (2003) and Chad Cordero (2005). They come, they go. He stays.
“It is hard to put into words how great this guy is,” Rodriguez said. “No matter what words you use, you will just not get his magnitude.”
There is the moment of doubt each spring. What will he look like when he lifts his arm this year? The first answer of 2011 is he will look like Mariano Rivera. Cutters and two-seamers with precision. In fact, against righties Matt Brown and Luke Hughes he dabbled with deploying a cutter at the front knee and bending it over the plate. A new weapon, for an old closer.
“As you get older, you get wiser,” Rivera said.
But you also are supposed to fade as you get older. His warranty expired long ago, but not his skill. No throwing in the winter, no throwing in games until yesterday. No worry.
“It is March 13, and he hasn’t pitched and he goes out and does that,” hitting coach Kevin Long said. “It is just ridiculous. Now we can let him go on vacation for another three weeks. ‘See you on March 31, Mo.’ Just incredible.”