Go to the video: Devastated Rivera speaks after catastrophic knee injury in BP

May 4, 2012 - 9:13 AM

It was hard enough to fathom the Yankees potentially without Mariano Rivera next season. Retirement seemed to be in his sights. Now? Looks like Rivera is done this year after the devastating and completely freakish knee injury the greatest closer of them all suffered during batting practice Thursday in Kansas City.

If you missed it, here's the MLB.com video recap of the freak injury, the concern shown by Alex Rodriguez and Joe Girardi and the removal of Rivera from the field. It's during BP, remember, so there's no voices narrating.

I know many of the Yankees beat writers and they were universal on Twitter that the clubhouse was somber as it's ever been after the game. Rivera was emotional as he chatted with reporters because there's so much unknown here. He's 42 years old. Can he really come back from this bad of an injury? Does he want to at this point?

Here's an emotional Rivera after the game:

I've been in the Yankees clubhouse speaking with Rivera after the best of times like World Series clinchers and the worst of times like Game 7 of the 2001 World Series or Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. It's hard to believe it would end like this for him. Be sure to check out Saturday's editions of The Buffalo News for a special edition of Inside Baseball with my thoughts on Rivera.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

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Mike Harrington

Mike Harrington, a Canisius College graduate who began his career as a News reporter in 1987, has covered the Buffalo Bisons since 1992 and Major League Baseball since 1995. A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Harrington has reported on 15 World Series -- including every pitch of the Fall Classic this century -- and all three of the Bisons' championship runs in their modern era. He is a connoisseur of the famous Stadium Mustard at Cleveland's Progressive Field.

@BNHarrington | mharrington@buffnews.com

Amy Moritz

Amy Moritz, a native of Lockport, has covered the Bisons for The Buffalo News since 2002. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism/mass communication from St. Bonaventure University and a master’s degree in humanities from the University at Buffalo. An endurance athlete, she has completed several triathlons, half marathons and marathons.

@TBN_Moritz | amoritz@buffnews.com

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