BOSTON – The cheering, sarcastic and cutting, thundered down on Mariano Rivera the moment he stepped out of the bullpen. The joke was on him, again. But this time, the closer was in no mood to play with the Fenway crowd: There’d be no tipping of the cap, no gracious waves – and definitely no smile.
Rivera’s face was as tight as a clenched fist when he stepped to the mound Wednesday. There was more important business to do than clowning with Sox fans. First, Rivera had to finish off a 5-2 Yankee win over Boston. There was another message to deliver, too: The cut-fastball, which had become the Sox’ best friend last week, was its old, angry self again.
“It’s a long season, we have a long way to go,” was Rivera’s proclamation. He’d recorded his first save against Boston since last September 24, and while it wasn’t perfect, it was enough for the Yankees to believe the worst may be over for their closer.
Not that Rivera would ever let on to his embarrassment over self-destructing twice in two days against Boston at the Stadium. That was bad enough. But then came Monday’s reception before the Sox’ home opener, when all of New England stood up and cheered when Rivera’s name was announced.
As graciously as Rivera handled himself – tipping his cap, smiling so broadly his eyes turned to slits – there was a something pitiable about the great reliever on the wrong end of Red Sox Nation’s joke.
The Yankees were too respectful to point out to Rivera what was so obvious: The fans were making fun of the most efficient closer of this generation. But the point wasn’t lost on any of them.
“I’m sure it’s been tough on him. I mean, I don’t care how good you are, you’re still human,” said Joe Torre. “You can’t just be cavalier and pretend it doesn’t bother you.”
That’s why Torre turned to Rivera on Wednesday, long after the Yankees had soiled Curt Schilling’s return from the disabled list. Inexplicably allowed to roar past 100 pitches, Schilling was unable to handle the lower half of the Yankees’ new-look lineup, including Bernie Williams, who was 3-for-4 with a home run; Tino Martinez, who smashed a ground-rule double; and Jason Giambi, who was 2-for-4 with a home run, too.
It would’ve been the perfect resurrection story for the sagging Yankee lineup – not to mention a personal triumph for Torre. It was his idea to remake the batting order after just seven games, turning Tony Womack into the leadoff hitter, moving Derek Jeter into the second spot and allowing Alex Rodriguez to bat fifth, presumably so he can drive in more runs.
A-Rod paid no dividend, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, but the rest of the lineup looked crisp. That’s no small endorsement considering Torre himself called the Bombers “flat” before the game and admitted the juggling of the batting order was designed “to get some people’s attention.”
Think the manager wasn’t trying to send a message, too? If history will remember Torre in any particular way, it’ll be as the prime minister of patience. That’s why his calling out the Yankees after seven games – in the middle of a Red Sox series, no less – was reason enough to flex your eyebrows.
All that was left on the otherwise upbeat night was Rivera. Of course, Torre could’ve easily let Tom Gordon finish out the ninth, but the closer had issues with the Sox. Better to confront them now than later, Torre reasoned.
So the call went to the bullpen, where Rivera had already been hearing it from the fans.
How, exactly, did they treat him? “Great,” Rivera said with a laugh, letting you know it was just the opposite. The real challenge, however, wouldn’t begin until he started that million-mile walk to the mound, which would expose Rivera to every insult known to New England.
But there were no insults – at least not in the traditional sense. No one cursed Rivera, no one jeered. Instead, the crowd rose to its feet and cheered loudly, an ovation that lasted through Rivera’s eight warm-up pitches.
He wasn’t going to give them satisfaction, not a second time. But Rivera was nevertheless listening.
“I don’t think they were happy to see me. They were being sarcastic, which is OK,” Rivera said. “I know deep inside they’re worried about me.”
It’s the killer cut-fastball that’s on everyone’s mind. At its best, the pitch is poison to the entire American League. Other days, Rivera’s cutter has been as vulnerable as a pigeon flying into a jet engine.
Rivera was somewhere between unhittable and a disaster Wednesday – good enough to record a scoreless ninth, but not without walking Trot Nixon and finishing with a wobbly ball-strike ratio (9-to-9).
“He’s still muscling the ball a little,” is how Torre saw it. That means Rivera is still trying to outrun his ghosts. The manager believes his closer will heal, but it’ll be a gradual process.
In the meantime, Rivera is navigating through the craziest month of his professional life, getting cheered at Fenway. He’ll welcome the booing later this summer.
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AP-NY-04-14-05 0032EDT
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