• Home
• Sports

NEW YORK - Having thrown only 13 pitches the last five days, Mariano Rivera will be available to pitch multiple innings tonight in Game 6 of the World Series, according to manager Joe Girardi.

Since throwing 39 pitches in a two-inning outing in Game 2 last Thursday, Rivera did not have a heavy workload during the three games in Philadelphia.

Rivera needed only five pitches to record two outs in Game 3 on Saturday night and threw eight pitches in one inning in Game 4 on Sunday night.

When Rivera was asked if he could go three innings on Wednesday night, he said, "Hopefully we don't need it. But we have to do whatever it takes to win the game. It's a big game for us. We have to be ready for it."

Pressed for an answer, Rivera said, "I don't know. I don't know. When you get there you'll find out. But I can't tell you that right now."

Fox cameras caught Rivera in the late innings Sunday night with a heat pad under his right rib cage as he sat hunched over in the bullpen, but he insisted he used it only because it was cold, not because of any sort of injury.

In 11 postseason games in 2009, Rivera has thrown 14 innings, allowing only one run and nine hits with four walks.

More Coverage

• Phillies notebook: Victorino day-to-day after getting hit by pitch
• If necessary, who gets the ball for Phils in Game 7?
• Slugger Teixeira in big slump
• Five reasons why the Phillies still can win World Series

No comments have been posted. Be the first poster!

PressofAtlanticCity.com offers everyone the opportunity to comment on published stories. However, it is impractical for editors to screen all comments.
If you believe a comment is offensive, please click on the abuse-reporting link and your objection will be considered by an editor. We encourage participants to use their real names, but inoffensive screen names are acceptable. Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them.
Please post responsibly. Do not post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy.
Be polite. Don’t hate. Users who don’t play by the rules may be blocked from participating.

View our full terms of service and privacy agreement

Click here to report a comment as abusive.

You must login to post a new comment