Mariano Rivera Versus Miguel Cabrera

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The battle between Mariano Rivera and Miguel Cabrera in the ninth inning of Friday night’s game between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers may be played up as one of the historic battles in MLB history. But it should not be. Here are the reasons why.

First, give Cabrera credit. He hit a home run against the greatest closer ever. He tied the score when the Tigers were all but finished. That is a credible feat.

But let’s put things into perspective. Rivera got the best of Cabrera throughout the duel. Cabrera fouled more than one  pitch off of his leg. Rivera was making mince meat out of him.

In fact, a weak pop up that Lyle Overbay should have handled, and didn’t, should have ended the standoff. I know what you’re thinking, Mark Teixeira would have caught that pop up, and you are right.

After hobbling around like a bear who stepped in a trap, somehow Cabrera was able to recover. But what happened to all of that pain as he circled around the bases? Where did it go when he celebrated on the way back to the dugout? Where was it when he ran out to take his position?

Whatever the Tigers trainer did to aid Cabrera’s recovery, he should bottle it. There are millions of people around the world with mobility issues that would love to have access to it.

It was justice that the biggest hit of the game, Brett Gardner‘s game winning single, skipped passed Cabrera into left field. Cabrera lunged for the ball. From the ground, he turned his head and watched it roll by.

All of a sudden, he was only able to lay there. He just couldn’t seem to get up. I guess the pain must have returned to his leg.