No matter how Tuesday night’s 84th All-Star Game shakes out Mariano Rivera is going to pitch in it.
Baseball’s all-time saves leader could throw one pitch or one inning but AL manager Jim Leyland predicted a sold-out Citi Field will see Rivera in his 13th and last All Star game.
“It would probably be the most beautiful touch in the world if we could somehow get a lead and play the ninth inning with the greatest closer of all time coming out of the bullpen,” Leyland said of Rivera. “We need to get a lead.”
And what happens if the AL club can’t get a late-game advantage?
“Mariano Rivera, I assume, is going to come in very healthy and you can rest assure that he will be on the mound in this game at some point,” Leyland said. “You will see him pitch, whether it be to a hitter, an inning, it depends how the game goes. You will see No. 42 pitch.”
As for Hiroki Kuroda, whose 2.65 ERA is second to Felix Hernandez’ 2.53 among AL hurlers, his name was in the mix of pitchers discussed to replace Oakland’s Bartolo Colon, who started Sunday.
“I had some names together, about five and he was one of them in the last day or so to replace a guy I knew was going to be replaced,” Leyland said. “He was on that list and I looked at it very thoroughly. At the end of the day I added (Chris) Tillman. I would almost be embarrassed not to take a guy who is 11-3 to the All Star Game. I think he deserves it. You have 11 wins by the All-Star break , that’s pretty hard to leave a guy off.”