Mariano Rivera (pictured) will announce tomorrow he is retiring after the season. (
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In Tampa and Joel Sherman in Jupiter
The most emotional close of Mariano Rivera’s career comes tomorrow.
Rivera is set to announce at a 10 a.m. press conference at Steinbrenner Field that the 2013 season will be his final one.
True to his private nature, Rivera wanted to keep this matter as quiet as possible until the official announcement. In an interview with The Post, Rivera, in fact, said: “If you hear that [retirement] from me, that will be confirmed. It’s only a rumor until I talk.’’
But that the Yanks have called a press conference is no rumor. It is a fact and multiple sources confirmed it is for Rivera to inform the world this year will be the last of his Hall of Fame career.
When Rivera suffered a torn right ACL last May shagging flyballs in Kansas City, whatever plans he had of retiring were scrapped. Rivera said he couldn’t leave the game he loves and has dominated with a cut fastball since 1996 on the back of a golf cart.
From the outset of spring training, the belief around the Yankees was that this would be the final year of Rivera’s career. Rivera, though, had said he had made a decision and would not make that decision public until a later date. As of yesterday, he still was unwilling to do so.
“Anybody else says it, it’s not true until I tell you,’’ Rivera said after a bullpen session watched by The Post. “Remember, I told you we would have one of these days [with a press conference].’’
Rivera, who begins this year with a record 608 saves, is slated to work in his first exhibition game against the Braves at home a few hours after his press conference.
Recently, Rivera asked to speak with Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. It’s not known if Rivera met with the general partners.
Rivera wasn’t seen in the Yankees’ clubhouse Wednesday, and Joe Girardi said Rivera had gone home to New York for personal reasons.
As for the bullpen session, it consisted of 20 minutes of exercise and long toss. Then it was 25 pitches to minor league catcher Ryan Baker, who was so confident of Rivera’s pin-point control that he only wore a mask. And that was because trainer Mark Littlefield suggested it.
Dressed in dark blue shorts and shirt and wearing a light brace on his surgically repaired knee, Rivera effortlessly worked through the bullpen session that was witnessed by senior pitching instructor Greg Pavlik, catching coordinator Julio Mosquera and Littlefield.
“It went good, I am pitching Saturday, God willing,’’ Rivera said.
If Rivera has a normal season — he averaged 40 saves a season in the nine years before last year — he will likely put the save record out of reach for future closers.
No current closer is even halfway to Rivera’s mark. Jason Isringhausen, 40, has 300 career saves, two more than 37-year-old Joe Nathan. Next is Francisco Rodriguez, 31, who has 294. And neither Isringhausen nor Rodriguez has a major league job.
And while 2013 might have a farewell touch to it, the Yankees need Rivera to be himself. Not wanting to go back to the role of Rivera’s setup man, Rafael Soriano opted out of the final year of a contract and left for the Nationals, where he will close.
After David Robertson was given two chances to replace Rivera last year, Soriano took over the closer’s job and posted 42 saves.
As expected, the tributes to Rivera have started to pour in.
“A lot of people asked me over the years, especially in Japan, who is the toughest to face,” Ichiro Suzuki said. “[Rivera] is probably one that is up at the top of the list. No one in the future will have this kind of success with just one pitch.’’
Ivan Nova, who slipped in his second season last year, is already talking about Rivera in the past tense.
“Mariano was a great teammate and person,’’ said Nova, who started yesterday’s 7-6 loss to the Cardinals. “One thing [Rivera] told me is he is going to be on top of me this year. No matter what happened last year it can’t happen again. The first time Rivera said ‘hola’ to me I got nervous. It was Mariano Rivera.’’
Second to none
Here’s a look at some of the numbers he has compiled in his 18-year career:
608 Career saves, seven more than Trevor Hoffman
0.70 Postseason ERA, the lowest of all-time
2.21 Regular-season ERA, lowest among any pitcher in the last 85 years
42 Postseason saves, a record and 24 more than Brad Lidge
28 Postseason saves of more than three outs
5 Times he finished in the top five in AL Cy Young voting
4.04 Strikeout-walk ratio, fourth-best all time
.983 Career fielding percentage, 11th best all-time among pitchers
george.king@nypost.com
