Shocker: Leyland confirms Rivera will be AL’s closer for All-Star Game
ByVia George King & Dan Martin: Tigers manager Jim Leyland confirmed Mariano Rivera will serve as the AL’s closer for next month’s All-Star Game. “He took me off the hook from all that silly stuff that they wanted him to start the game … I hope I give him the ball in the ninth inning in New York,” he said. Leyland is managing because Detroit won the pennant last year.
Rivera, 43, has a 1.55 ERA (2.36 FIP) with 26 saves in 27 chances this year. There was a campaign to have Mo start the All-Star Game as a way to honor his career, but thankfully that was shot down. Rivera himself said he didn’t want to start. The game will be played in New York at CitiField, so hopefully the AL squad gives Mo a lead to protect in the ninth inning during his final All-Star Game. That would be pretty darn neat.
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The way this offense is going, that might be Mo’s only chance to save a game in the next couple of weeks.
A well deserved honor for baseball’s best closer.
may there be a save situation. lookin’ at you, verlander!
/realace’d
yup. but then the tigers had been hovering around .500 at the time of the asg, third in the division, 5 games back of the white sox, two back of the indians. zero run differential!
you know if he’d believed the outcome would impact his team he would’ve pitched gooder.
Nah, no apologies, he got lit up, left a lot of balls in the middle of the plate and got hit pretty hard. He was just not good.
He’s not going to re-sign Valverde again to close instead???
The ASG MVP should go to Mariano regardless of whether he pitches in the game.
Why? Isnt one of the biggest issues with the AS games is guys getting on the rosters when they don’t deserve it? Now, were gonna start giving guys the MVP of the game even if they don’t play? Nah, thats silly.
nycsportz, meet Eddard. Eddard, this is nycsportz.
In other words, don’t take him seriously. Ever.
Meh, All Star selections and All Star MVPs carry so little weight anyway, just go all out and treat them as sentimental awards more than an indicator of merit.
Also water is wet.lol another words, no kidding mo’s closing the As game if the AL has a SV opp.