The Yankees didn’t take Mariano Rivera for granted. They cherished and honored the greatest closer in the history of baseball.
Fans did, however, become spoiled by Rivera’s greatness.
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Succeeding Rivera is arguably the hardest job in the history of New York sports. Rivera was so beloved, and so consistent, that fans almost forgot how difficult it is for most teams to find a dominant ninth-inning man.
The man initially anointed with the difficult task was David Robertson. Since D-Rob is already a homegrown fan favorite, I suspected that he would have an easier time than most. If the Yankees signed a free-agent closer, such as Fernando Rodney, he would have been public enemy No. 1 after his first blown save.
It seemed smart that the Yankees would turn to Robertson, one of their own, to handle ninth-inning duties in the Bronx. Maybe the fans would have a longer leash. Maybe Robertson would thrive in the role and make the transition seamless.
Or, maybe not.
The 28-year-old D-Rob is headed to the 15-day disabled list with a Grade 1 strain of his left groin. He suffered the injury during his appearance Sunday against the Blue Jays. While he wasn't concerned initially, he still felt it when he woke up Monday and an MRI confirmed the strain. The hope right now is that Robertson will only have to miss the minimum 15 days.
Shawn Kelley picked his first career save in Robertson's absence during New York's home opener on Monday. After Rivera saved 652 games over 19 seasons, it took seven games for the Yankees to turn to a journeyman reliever with zero career saves.
Imagine if Kelley blew it?
Rivera was in the building after taking part in a pregame ceremony for Derek Jeter. The only way Kelley would have gotten out of the Stadium unscathed would have been to use Rivera as a human shield.
Eventually, someone on the Yankees is going to blow a save. Then it will happen again. And again. The fans in the Bronx will turn on the “closer” whether it’s Robertson, Kelley or someone else.
And it’s not because they’re bad pitchers. It’s because they’re not Mariano Rivera.
Questions? Hit me on Twitter @briansflood
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