When to go to Mo?

The Yankees think they have Mariano Rivera available for two innings of work tonight; can’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be. The big question is, when should Joe Girardi call down to the bullpen and get Rivera up in the event of an emergency?

Could ‘Enter Sandman’ be played as early as the seventh inning?

The answer, in a word, is yes. It would be a definite if this was Game 7, but Girardi is already thinking that he will be burning a lot of pitches out of his future Hall of Fame closer if the opportunity presents itself to lock down a World Series title tonight.

“The limit is more at pitches than innings for Mo,” Girardi said. “We’ve got him up to 39, so we feel that we can go there again.”

“Hopefully we don’t need it,” Rivera said of pitching three innings. “We have to do whatever it takes to win the game. I have to be ready.”

Brief uniform note – check out this photo from yesterday’s workout at the Stadium. When you’re Mariano Rivera, you can wear the wrong jersey for batting practice and no one cares.

I asked Jerry Hairston, Jr. yesterday if there was anything he appreciated more about Rivera, seeing him from this side. 

“He’s a better shagger than I thought he’d be,” Hairston said. “He loves playing center field. He thinks he’s Bernie Williams or Willie Mays.”