MLB

Robertson closes Yankees win with shaky ninth inning

Ninth innings are going to look a lot different than they used to with David Robertson closing games for the Yankees instead of Mariano Rivera.

Robertson admitted as much after he picked up the team’s first save since Rivera went down most likely for the rest of the season with a torn ACL— but not without loading the bases in a 5-3 win over the Rays.

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“Mo probably would have thrown 12 pitches and broke a bat and we would have been gone 20 minutes ago,” Robertson said after he caught Carlos Pena looking to seal the victory.

That’s not Robertson’s style.

“He doesn’t seem comfortable without the bases loaded,” manager Joe Girardi said. “When you’re replacing a guy like Mo, the important thing is David doesn’t try to be Mo. David just has to be David.”

The reliever, who has built a reputation of being among the best strikeout pitchers in the game, also has a propensity for letting runners on base and last night was no different. He walked two and gave up a single- prompting a visit from pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

But as he often does, Robertson recovered and got Pena with a 94-mph fastball that touched the outside corner to give the Yankees their first win over the Rays of the season.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” said Robertson, who had three career saves before last night and hasn’t given up a run in 13 innings this season, striking out 23. “I would have liked it to have been quick inning. But I think it was good to get the first one. I’m glad no one scored.”

And afterwards, Girardi came as close as he has yet to admitting that Robertson will be the full-time closer in Rivera’s absence and not Rafael Soriano.

“Is [Robertson] a guy, if everyone is equal, are we gonna close with him? Probably,” Girardi said. “But there’s going to be days where I might have to do it a little different just because how of how much they’ve thrown.”

Soriano struggled through the eighth last night, giving up a run, but managed to leave with a lead.

That helped make a winner of Ivan Nova, who pitched seven strong innings to improve to 4-1 after two subpar outings. He got run support from Raul Ibanez, who homered twice, and Curtis Granderson, who hit his 10th home run of the season as Tampa Bay’s James Shields fell to 5-1.

Nova didn’t give up a run until the sixth, when former Yankee Jose Molina led off with a homer. After giving up a home run to Luke Scott in the seventh, followed by a walk to Jeff Keppinger and a double to Will Rhymes, Girardi decided to keep Nova in the game.

“It was his game,” Girardi said. “It was extremely important for him. He has to shut the door in that situation.”

He did, getting Sean Rodriguez on a pop up to right that was too shallow to score Keppinger from third and then striking out Molina.

“It was a good day for me,” Nova said after giving up two runs in seven innings. “It was perfect; it was the way I drew it up.”

Robertson might not have designed his outing the way it came out- throwing 25 pitches — but he’ll take the result.

So will his teammates.

“Mo is gone,” Nova said. “No one can replace Mo, but we know Robertson can get the job done.”