Anyone who might snicker at the competitiveness or athletic endeavor of an old-timers' game should consider what apparently happened to New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera during Saturday's alumni exhibition.
While appearing in the WFAN broadcast booth with Suzyn Waldman and Dave Sims, Roger Clemens revealed that Rivera hurt his Achilles tendon during the Yankees Old-Timers Game on Saturday afternoon. Rivera was being evaluated at a hospital, according to Clemens.
A Yankees spokesperson confirmed that Rivera did indeed hurt his Achilles and was examined by trainers. But the severity of the injury was not revealed, via the New York Daily News' Gary Phillips.
Here is the audio from the WFAN broadcast, via Talkin' Yanks on X.
"It was a fun day until we just heard about Mariano. Mariano hurt his Achilles," Clemens said. "I don't know what was going on. We all thought it was a hamstring, but I think it's a little worse than that. I think he's at the hospital now."
Clemens then joked that he wanted Waldman and Sims to change the name of "Old-Timers Game" to "Alumni Game" because he and his fellow teammates weren't that old. Rivera is 55 years old, while Clemens is 63.
When Rivera's injury occurred isn't certain. Rivera hit a single off former teammate Andy Pettitte during the exhibition and appeared fine after running to first base.
Prior to Saturday's Old-Timers/Alumni Game at Yankee Stadium, played before the Yankees faced the Houston Astros, it appeared that Rivera would make news by telling reporters that he planned to speak with current closer Devin Williams and offer advice regarding his recent struggles.
Rivera did not reveal what exactly he planned to say to Williams, but indicated that it was important for relievers — especially closers — to forget about a bad outing as quickly as possible and maintain confidence.
“Forget about it,” Rivera said, via the New York Post. “You can’t do nothing about it. What’s done is done. Move on and be confident. You have to be confident in yourself. If you’re not confident in yourself, why are you playing the sport?”
Williams allowed three runs in the Yankees' 5-3 defeat to the Astros on Friday, serving up a 2-run homer to Taylor Trammell in the 10th inning. In his past five appearances, Williams has given up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings. He has allowed 28 earned runs this season, more than he gave up during the past three seasons combined.
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