MO THE MAGNIFICENT
Closer saves Game 1 after burying two relatives in Panama on the same day




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
October 13, 2004

As I watched Game 1 of the ALCS unfold inning by inning I was deeply struck by what I saw in the bullpen in the 5th inning. Mariano Rivera emerged to a bevy of warm and sincere hugs from his teammates. The Yankee faithful in the crowd acknowledged the presence of arguably the greatest closer in baseball history with chants of “Mo. Mo. Mo.” Everyone knew where Mariano Rivera had just returned from. He had just come back from an arduous journey in Panama where he had buried the cousin of his wife Clara and her cousin’s son earlier in the day. Both had been electrocuted in a freak accident involving an electrified pool at Rivera’s mansion in Puerto Caimito, Panama on Saturday. Mariano flew home Sunday to arrange for the funerals of his wife’s relatives.

As the Yankees built an 8-0 lead I kept thinking to myself Mariano has got to be dog tired. It will nice not having to use him in Game 1 as starter Mike Mussina was cruising. Through six innings he had a perfect game going. No worries I kept thinking. Then the unimaginable happened. After getting an out in the seventh inning the Moose suddenly turned human again and surrendered four runs on four hits. His replacement, Tanyon Sturtze, gave up a two run shot to Jason Varitek (one run charged to Mussina). Varitek had been previously been 0-35 at Yankee Stadium. Suddenly, the score was 8-5 Yankees. Now what had been a laugher was now a save situation.

It got worse as Tom “Flash” Gordon entered the game in the eighth inning and was very ineffective. Gordon lasted just 2/3 of an inning, giving up three hits and two earned runs in the process. With the score now 8-7 Joe Torre bounded out of the dugout and headed toward the mound. He pointed to the bullpen with his right arm. Torre knew who he wanted. Mo! As the lanky closer jogged from the bullpen in left field toward the mound Mo’s signature music “Enter Sandman” played through the stadium speakers. With David Ortiz standing on third and Kevin Millar standing at the plate Captain Derek Jeter simply said to Mo, “get him out.” That’s just what Mo did. He induced Millar to pop up to Jeter to end the inning.

In the bottom of the frame Bernie Williams gave the Yankees some breathing room by slapping a two-out double to left center and over the head of Manny Ramirez, scoring Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield. With the score now 10-7 Rivera went back to work and set the Red Sox down 1-2-3.

Rivera was all smiles after the game. As the team met on the field to high-five each other I saw Mo break into that infectious smile of his. It was great to have him back. It was greater to watch him perform after such an emotional roller coaster as the one he had been on that day. It was an unbelievable feat to bury two relatives in a country approximately 2,200 miles away, fly six hours in a private jet, land at the airport, drive to Yankee Stadium and get in uniform ready to play.

To me it is very symbolic that Mariano Rivera wears #42. As we all know Major League Baseball retired #42 on every team in the league in honor of Jackie Robinson the Dodger great who was the first to break the color line in 1947. Any player wearing #42 at the time the number was retired by MLB is allowed to wear it until he is no longer active. When Rivera retires he will retire as the greatest closer in baseball history. The Hall of Fame awaits Mo five years after he steps down from the mound. The number 42 will be featured twice in the Hall of Fame and at Yankee Stadium. One is for Jackie Robinson and one will be for Mariano Rivera. I can think of no greater way to honor a player and a man of Mariano Rivera’s character. I am very thankful he is a New York Yankee.

PLAY BALL!



© 2004 Yankees Talk Shop @ ezboard.com

Redistribution, rewriting, rebroadcast, or republication of this story is prohibited without the prior written consent of Yankees Talk Shop and it's affilitates