Mariano Rivera is still the last pitcher to close out a World Series championship for the Yankees, a decade after they last won a title in 2009.
The Hall of Famer was back at Yankee Stadium on Thursday to throw out the first pitch before the season-opener against Baltimore, and Rivera admitted he was surprised it’s been that long since the team captured a championship.
“It’s time,” said Rivera, who will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in July. “We’re due. It’s time to get No. 28. I believe in the team. Seeing the guys and the talent we have, it’s enough to win. The question is, ‘Are we hungry enough to win it?’ and I believe they are. We need another championship.”
If Rivera’s prediction is to come true, the bullpen will have to live up to its reputation.
And the former closer said he believed the current relief corps is already an improvement over any bullpen he pitched in during the championship run.
“The ones we were part of were already proven,” Rivera said. “I don’t say these guys aren’t, because they’re better than us. They have a great bullpen. [Aroldis] Chapman in the back will do what he needs to do. They’re hungry. I can see it in their eyes.”
Rivera was just one of the Yankees from that era on hand Thursday, with Joe Torre in attendance and Paul O’Neill and David Cone in the YES broadcast booth.
“I never thought it would be the last one for many years,” Rivera said of the ’09 title. “Because we have the talent. … They definitely have the talent. I never thought we would be 10 years without a championship. It’s coming … soon. Like when a movie shows up. It’s on the horizon. Hopefully this year.”
