Mariano Rivera Will Return To New York Yankees In 2013

New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has informed the team that he will return and pitch for them during the 2013 season, after sources close to the right-handed pitcher revealed last week that Rivera was contemplating possibly retiring.

According to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, Rivera is willing to return to the famed New York pinstripes which he has spent the entire duration of his 17-year career in. “He wants to play again. I’ll work with his agent, Fernando Cruz, on the details of a contract”, said Cashman after hearing about the decision on Friday.

Rivera will turn 43 later this month on November 29, and is coming off of surgery to repair the ACL in his right knee, so there is no guarantee that he will be the Mariano Rivera of old in the upcoming season. However, after Rafael Soriano (who filled in for Rivera as the Yankees closer in 2012) opted out of the final year of his contract earlier this week, hearing the news that Rivera is returning has to be somewhat settling to the Yankees and their fans.

Now with Rivera all but signed and 100% healthy following the freak accident, which occurred during pregame warmups before the Yankees were set to take on the Kansas City Royals in May, the Yankees can now turn their focus away from worrying about whose going to close games for them, and attempt to figure how to fix the other glaring holes on their roster.

Throughout Rivera’s sure-fire Hall-of-Fame career, he has recorded an Major League record 608 saves and also holds the MLB postseason records for most saves with 42, and lowest career ERA with an astonishing 0.70.