After the ninth inning was over Tuesday night, after his magical performance had once again cemented his place in Yankee lore, Mariano Rivera put baseball aside.

And once again, he became a concerned husband.

“I called my family,” Rivera said. “I was hurt after the game. I had joy that we won the game. [Yesterday was] better.

“[Yesterday] was easier. Yes, I miss my family and I miss my wife. But I have a job to do.”

Rivera was still hurting after his superb save in Game 1, only hours after burying two family members and flying into New York from his native Panama. An exhausted Rivera returned home after the ballpark and fell asleep.

“Till noon [yesterday],” he said.

Upon waking up, Rivera knew once again he had to be prepared to pitch in a game last night. But his heart was clearly still with his family, and he admitted, “Right now, it’s still tough.”

Rivera did come through again last night, however, getting his second straight four-out save in the Yankees’ 3-1 victory which put them up 2-0 in ALCS.

The ace closer said he spoke to his family approximately every half-hour yesterday, revealing that under the circumstances, his family members are holding up as well as can be expected.

“They’re doing good,” Rivera said. “They’re doing great as can be. I thank God for everything.”

With the Yankees having off today, Rivera was asked whether he might return to Panama for the day to spend more time with his family. But he dismissed the idea, saying, “Too long to travel and I don’t have the time. I don’t think I can do it.”

One thing Rivera said he has done is talk to his children about what happened.

“I did explain it,” he said. “But they’re little. They really don’t understand too much. They miss mom, but they really don’t understand.”

Teammates marveled over what Rivera was able to do Tuesday, not only when it came to the physical toll of flying from another country and pitching that night but the emotional baggage of taking the mound in the aftermath of a family tragedy. Alex Rodriguez called Rivera’s effort, “incredible” and tabbed him the “most impressive teammate I’ve had in my 10 years.”

The Bronx faithful showered Rivera with appreciation as well that night, cheering wildly when it was announced in pregame that he was en route to the stadium and when his trademark “Enter Sandman” theme song blared on the stadium speaker system, announcing his eighth-inning appearance.

It was an ovation that blew Rivera away.

“I know this is home,” he said. “This is my family. Brothers, fathers, Joe [Torre], my teammates. To see the fans, it was special. I can’t be thankful enough for what everybody has done for me.”