CHICAGO – Many eyes missed Mariano Rivera’s ninthinning balk Wednesday night when the White Sox had runners on first and third with two outs and trailed the Yankees by a run.
While Rivera knew he committed a balk and Jorge Posada knew and the White Sox dugout knew and third base coach Joey Cora knew, the most important guy in U.S. Cellular Field didn’t see it.
That was plate umpire Tom Gorman, who didn’t notice Rivera’s left front shoulder dip ever so slightly toward the plate and then was pulled back. Nor did Gorman see Rivera move the ball forward in his right hand and then stop.
“I did know it, but it wasn’t too obvious,” Rivera said of the balk that wasn’t called.
Working to Jim Thome with the tying run 90 feet away one night after Paul Konerko homered off Rivera to tie the score, Rivera’s first two pitches were balls. As he prepared for the third offering, he dipped his shoulder and moved the ball. He regrouped to throw a 95-mph fastball that Thome took, and then Rivera ended the game by inducing Thome to hit a grounder up the middle that Robinson Cano made a backhanded stab on while moving toward second for the final out.
“Joey Cora was going nuts at third,” Posada said of the White Sox coach.
Rivera didn’t recall ever being called for a balk.
Having pitched Tuesday and Wednesday (total of 2 1/3 innings), Rivera was asked if he was available last night.
“I can pitch and rest [today],” Rivera said. “We will see what happens.” Joe Torre said using Rivera for a third straight game “wasn’t out of the question.”