Mariano Rivera is about perfection on the mound. His strength is not just his ability to close games, but to see the potential and goodness in others.
On the mound he takes care of everything, and for 608 regular-season games and another 42 in the postseason, Rivera has done just that, saving the Yankees.
The ninth inning is his inning. Forced to be a spectator because of a torn ACL in his right knee, life is tortuous. Mariano believes in David Robertson, but it’s tough to watch his replacement, Rivera admitted last night.
And that was before Robertson was hammered, blowing the save and the game in a 4-1 loss to the Rays at a stunned Yankee Stadium, the first runs given up by Robertson since last Aug. 29. The right-hander surrendered all four runs in the ninth, the final three coming on a home run by Matt Joyce.
Robertson will need Rivera’s guidance and support more than ever now.
“We all go through tough times, but the closer we are, the quicker the tough times will go away,’’ Rivera said.
Rivera had offered words of encouragement to Robertson before the game.
“He said, ‘You can do it.’ ’’ Robertson said. “I wasn’t able to tonight.’’
Said Rays manager Joe Maddon, “The ninth inning is a different inning than the seventh or eighth inning. It’s a different game based on emotion. The passion that inning possesses is just different. He’s going to be fine, he’s good. We just happened to get to him tonight.’’
“This game is not helping me at all,’’ Rivera said of the torture of being a fan and having to watch the last inning of Tuesday’s 5-3 win over the Rays from his couch. “I was pulling for the guys and I saw Robby there. He did a good job, but I sweat. I sweat, I was telling him, ‘Throw the ball like this. Throw the ball like that.’ I think he heard me.’’
Rivera smiled. “It was difficult, but it was good at the same time.’’
Last night was not good.
Losing Rivera will be difficult, and Robertson will have to grow from this experience. If he does, the Yankees will be stronger for it. If not, it’s going to be a long summer in The Bronx.
Rivera’s career is in question and he had a frightening blood clot in his right calf, but he is concerned about Robertson. Typical Mariano.
It’s not only the stuff that Robertson possesses that has Rivera believing in the young reliever, it’s his character.
“He’s a good kid,’’ Rivera said. “When you have a good personality like that and a good heart, it’s not what I see; it’s what the Lord sees. [Robertson] has tremendous will, a desire to get it done to do this job. I think he will do a tremendous job. I think in the situation he was in was not an easy situation, but he came through [Tuesday]. That’s what I have seen in him before. He’s capable of doing that. We need to work on the little things. But that’s a minor adjustment. That’s something we can easily fix, but you cannot fix heart. You cannot tell your heart to do something it isn’t going to do.’’
There is no question Rivera will do everything possible to try to return late this season, if possible, even though the team has ruled him out for the season. Whenever he does return, the Yankees will have a strong duo in Robertson and Rivera.
One of Rivera’s most revealing answers came when he was asked a question by a Latin reporter and responded in Spanish, “If I can’t do the job the way I was doing it before, I’ll be the first one to know it and I will end my career,’’ Rivera said.
Mariano Rivera is always going to give his best. That’s what makes him the Hall of Fame pitcher he is and now he is going to give his best in support of David Robertson.
Get ready to sweat.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com