Mariano Rivera formally announced that he will retirement from baseball following the 2013 season earlier this morning, and while I liveblogged the press conference, I figured a bunch of you would want to see the thing yourself. The above video is the actual announcement from Rivera, the below video the Q&A session with the media.
Mariano’s back
Like he never left.
Hot .GIF Action: Jose Ramirez vs. Jordan Schafer
Right-hander Jose Ramirez is on the mound for the Yankees this afternoon, facing the Braves in his third Spring Training outing. He made very quick work of Atlanta leadoff man Jordan Schafer, the first batter of the game. Here’s a fastball for strike one:
Spring Training Game Thread: The Beginning of the End
This afternoon, Mariano Rivera will make the first appearance of his final season as a player. The long-time closer officially announced he will retire at the end of the season this morning, meaning the farewell tour is underway. Today will be his last first Spring Training appearance and tomorrow will bring another last first something. It’s bittersweet.
The exciting thing is that Rivera will not be the only legacy Yankee to make his Grapefruit League debut today. Derek Jeter is also in the lineup for the first time and will unsurprisingly DH. It will be a few days/weeks before he gets back on the field and plays shortstop in a game following his offseason ankle surgery. Here’s the lineup.
- DH Derek Jeter
- RF Ichiro Suzuki
- SS Eduardo Nunez
- 1B Juan Rivera
- 3B Jayson Nix
- LF Matt Diaz
- C Chris Stewart
- CF Melky Mesa
- 2B Corban Joseph
And on the mound is the organization’s 12th best prospect, right-hander Jose Ramirez. No word on the second stringers, but Rivera will indeed pitch today.
This afternoon’s game is scheduled to start a little after 1pm ET and it can be seen on both YES and MLB.tv (no local blackout). Enjoy.
The Mariano Rivera Retirement Announcement LiveBlog
Barring a complete surprise, Mariano Rivera will announce his retirement from baseball following the 2013 season during a press conference in Tampa this morning. The 43-year-old has been hinting at retirement for two years now, so the announcement will be no surprise. The show starts at 10am ET and can be seen on YES. I’ll liveblog the particulars below.
Open Thread: 3/8 Camp Notes
The Yankees lost to the Giancarlo Stanton-less Marlins this afternoon, completing their little two-day trip across the state in Jupiter. Adam Warren got rocked, allowing four runs on six hits in four innings. He struck out no one but walked one. Chase Whitley allowed two runs in an inning while Branden Pinder, Mark Montgomery, and Shawn Kelley tossed up scoreless frames. Brett Gardner was held hitless for the second straight day, but he did draw a walk. Melky Mesa had two singles while Thomas Neal doubled. Eduardo Nunez singled, walked, and got picked off first base. That’s pretty much it. Here’s the box score and here’s the rest from Tampa…
- Andy Pettitte faced hitters — including Derek Jeter — during a live batting practice session this morning. He threw three innings and his fastball location wasn’t particularly crisp, but he did feel strong. Pettitte said he is ready to pitch in a Grapefruit League game. [Jack Curry & David Waldstein]
- Jeter, meanwhile, still isn’t sure when he will play in a game yet. Joe Girardi did hint that the Cap’n could play in tomorrow’s game as the DH, however. [Chad Jennings & Erik Boland]
- David Robertson (shoulder) played catch again today while Phil Hughes (bulging disk) is scheduled to throw a light bullpen session tomorrow. [George King]
Here is your open thread for the evening. The Rangers and Nets are both playing, plus Team USA opens its World Baseball Classic slate against Mexico at 9pm ET on MLB Network. As you know, Mark Teixeira has withdrawn from the event. Talk about any of those games or anything else here, enjoy.
Marc Hulet’s top 15 Yankees prospects at FanGraphs
Mark Hulet posted his list of the top 15 Yankees prospects at FanGraphs earlier this week, a list that is topped by OF Mason Williams. C Gary Sanchez, OF Slade Heathcott, and OF Tyler Austin round out the top four to no one’s surprise. Things get a little weird after that because everyone has their own preferences, but it’s nothing outrageous. Make sure you check it out, Hulet’s lists are always well worth the read.