The greatest closer who ever lived was asked yesterday if the Yankees were worried about blowing this ALCS like they did back in '04. Here's what he had to say via
Mark Feinsand:
"We didn't take it for granted in 2004, we just didn't have the pitching," Rivera told the Daily News before Wednsday's workout at Angel Stadium. "We have different pitching now. The bullpen is stronger, the starting rotation is stronger, so that's the key. In 2004, what took us there was our hitting. Here, it's our pitching."
As far as this year's pitch goes:
"They've been unbelievable," Rivera said. "They're the reason why we're here. Alex (Rodriguez) has done a tremendous job, there's no question, but without the pitching, we can't accomplish anything. Pitching is the name of the game in the playoffs."
"It's good that we don't have that many guys that have been through it," Rivera said. "Just come in and play hard, not think about what may have happened in the past."
Johnny Damon, CC Sabathia and Jorge Posada also spoke in the article about focusing on the task at hand and not looking at the Phillies. This team is ready, they're not looking ahead, and they're certainly not taking anything for granted.
