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Mo Is Not
The Same
by Daniel
Paulling
April 13, 2005
Ralph Branca, 1951. Donnie Moore, 1986. Mitch Williams,
1992. Billy Koch, 2002. All four of these pitchers served up homers
and lost big games. Branca gave up the “Shot heard ‘round
the world.” Donnie Moore killed himself three years later.
Mitch Williams pitched 37 more innings the rest of his life. Billy
Koch is out of baseball. Mariano Rivera, 2004? Perhaps.
The story truly begins last year during the famed Alex Rodriguez
/ Jason Varitek bout. It was the bottom of the ninth inning and
Billy Mueller was batting. Mariano Rivera stood on the mound and
it was the beginning of the end. Mueller hit a home run and won
the game for the Sox. Mariano Rivera was no longer a machine; he
was a man. The Red Sox soon caught fire and started on a streak
that took them into the World Series.
Next came the 2004 postseason. The Yanks handled the Twins easily
and they were three games ahead of the Red Sox.
Game 4. This was the Yankees’ time to celebrate in Fenway Park.
Mariano Rivera was on the mound. A Dave Roberts walk led to a stolen
base. Then David Ortiz drove him in. The Sox had beaten Rivera once
again.
Game 5. The Yankees wanted to end the series right here, in Fenway.
Once again, Rivera was on the mound. Once again, the famed right-hander
blew it. The Yankees eventually lost and it would not be unreasonable
to place the blame on this closer.
Fast forward through the off-season – now it’s the second
game of the 2005 season and Mariano Rivera is once again on the
mound with a chance to save a game. The Boston Red Sox are hitting,
specifically Jason Varitek. The BoSox captain delivers a home run
into the right field stands, another blown save. Game three of the
same series and the Yankees have a chance to sweep. Rivera, with
some help from Alex Rodriguez, blows yet another save. The biggest
thing to keep in mind, however, is that closers are not supposed
to load the bases in the first place.
Rivera’s poor outings against these Red Sox have become more
and more apparent. He has blown his last four save opportunities
against the Red Sox as well as six of his last eleven against this
team. Joe Torre knew that Mariano Rivera was having trouble
and even he appears to have lost faith in his closer. Torre had
Felix Rodriguez and Steve Karsay warming up in the bullpen when
he put Rivera in, because he knew what could happen. The Yankee
faithful have had enough of Rivera and they let him know their feelings
with a round of boos as the formerly great closer left the game.
So, how did Rivera’s stock drop so far, so fast? His cutter.
The pitch that gave him such magical powers in the ninth inning
is finally his Achilles heel. His cut fastball has lost velocity,
from the mid 90’s to 92-94 mph. With out any complimentary
pitches, the diminishing of his cut fastball is that more powerful.
Hitters always knew what to expect, but now Rivera does not even
have quite the same power or movement on that pitch.
Mariano Rivera is paid his ten million dollars plus to close games,
especially against the Red Sox. But now Rivera is thirty-five years
old, reaching quite an old age. He has lost his touch with his cut
fastball and the Red Sox have just begun to find the chinks in Rivera’s
coat of armor.
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