Rivera Says Goodbye to Yankees Stadium

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

September 26^th, 2013

Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Rays 4 Yankees 0

The New York Yankees lost their final home game of the season to the Tampa Bay Rays, as the Rays were able to sweep the Yankees. The loss moves the Yankees to (82-77) on the season, with three games left to play.

Rays Starter Alex Cobb gave his team a great start, as they inch closer to a playoff berth, and Cobb picked up his 11^th win of the season. Cobb would go seven innings allowing zero runs, and only allowing three hits and two walks. The Yankees would finally get something going against Cobb in the eighth inning with a Curtis Granderson double, followed by a base-hit from Lyle Overbay, but Joel Peralta came on and struckout the next two batters, and then got J.R. Murphy to fly out to end the Yankees threat.

Ivan Nova pitched more than well enough to earn a win, but with zero run support he got his sixth loss of the season. The Rays got to Nova in the fourth inning, as Evan Longoria, who has killed the Yankees this season was able to hit a RBI single to score James Loney for the first run of the game. In the seventh inning Delmon Young would take Nova deep to make the game 2-0 at the time. Nova finished going seven innings allowing two runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out five batters.

In the eighth inning the Rays would get some insurance runs off of Dellin Betances, as Longoria struck again with another RBI single, but this time it scored two runs. Betances has had a rough go of it in the majors so far, as he now has an ERA of 20.25.

Later in the eighth inning for the final time the “Enter Sandman” music blasted in Yankees Stadium and Mariano Rivera came in to get the final two outs of the eighth inning. Rivera would come back out in the ninth inning and get two more outs before in a truly memorable moment in baseball history Joe Girardi sent out Rivera's long time teammates Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter to the mound to pull Rivera. After long hugs for both of them Rivera would leave the mound in tears.

On Friday night it will be another emotional night for the Yankees, as Andy Pettitte will be making his final start of his great career in Houston against the Astros.