The New York Yankees are playing their final home game at the Stadium this season before finishing on the road and with the team just three games out of the Wild Card, they basically need to win out to have any chance of making the playoffs and this game will be even more meaningful, as Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera will be making their final appearances in the Bronx as active players.
Rivera already knew he was going to retire and no matter the situation on Sunday, even with the sweep in hand, he will get into the game at the end and Metallica will be blaring over the speakers to play Enter Sandman for the last time and the Stadium likely will be rocking harder than usual, as the game will be sold out and everyone knows the stakes and what's happening with Rivera and Pettitte. Rivera is the all-time saves leader and he has said that no matter what happens, he will be retiring after this season whether the Yankees make the playoffs or not.
Click here for the Yankees stream and the Mariano Rivera ceremony live stream.
The team is chasing the Indians and the Tampa Bay Rays for the final spots and the team is now behind Texas, who is floundering yet again at the end of the season after giving up the AL West title last year against the Oakland A's and then they lost in the wild card game to the Baltimore Orioles and if they blow it again after previously being in the spot, Ron Washington's job could be on the line. Losing Rivera and Pettitte is a big blow and they are two of the great Yankees of all-time and while Rivera is a first-ballot hall of fame player, Pettitte may have a harder time getting in, but he sure has the credentials as the winningest starting pitcher in history.
Rivera is the all-time saves leader in the playoffs as well and the only silver lining in all of this and the Yankees not making the playoffs this season is that he will end his career with 42 saves in the playoffs, which matches his number, which honors Jackie Robinson and now he will be the final player to wear that number. He has the record for appearances with 96 appearances in the playoffs and he won five world series titles with the team and now closer can match his resume and the way the game is played, now, no one will.
The Yankees need the sweep to have any chance at making the playoffs and the team ranks 15th in runs, 23d in batting average and 25th in slugging percentage and they need all the help they can get to make it in. Rivera has had farwells all over the league and the country and no one will give him a bigger honor than the Yankees and he already was honored by the MLB at the all-star game when all the players let him come onto the field alone and now he will get the chance to try and close out his last game and he also likely will pitch this week during the final stretch of games.
