DAVID ROBERTSON: DAYS OF FUTURE'S PAST

It has been six years since Mariano Rivera retired. Now, on Opening Day, the Yankees have brought back their beloved closer and icon for a fond celebration. Today is Mo Day.

Everything in the Stadium pays tribute to Mariano today. The greatest closer in history. Second to none. Banners hang. Cameras flash. And when it comes to the ninth inning and the entrance of the closer, just for tonight, the Stadium once again plays “Enter Sandman.”

David Robertson is thrilled. Certainly he has long established his own legacy at this point, but who wouldn’t be excited at being compared to Mo? Trotting out of the bullpen to Metallica, as trite as it may sound, is a dream come true.

DRob is firmly on the way to his own spot in history. It is easier to imagine him as one of baseball’s all-time greats now. Cooperstown is a lock. He has had six years to come into his own. He has been nothing but dominant since inheriting the closer’s role.

Back in 2013 he was only just getting started. But even in those days, DRob was showing signs of what would come. His ERA had dropped to 2.39 by midway through that season, down from 2.67 in 2012. He had rung up twice as many wins at the halfway point than the two he had garnered during the entirety of the previous year. He was on track to match his holds totals, if not surpass them.

Off the field, Robertson had become known as the guy who gives back. His “High Socks for Hope” had helped bring relief to Oklahoma and had continued to help communities around the nation and the world. He didn’t shy away from media. He calmly projected a cool, professional, and fearless air.

Now a cornerstone of the Yankees, Robertson was instrumental in drawing talent to the Bronx and making them comfortable. Matt Harvey, Mike Trout, and Jurickson Profar all swore by the steadying presence of the League’s premiere reliever. They repeatedly cited Robertson as a major plus to their becoming Yankees.

Enough woolgathering now. It is time to get to work. Metallica cuts out. DRob looks up to see perennial All Star Bryce Harper at the plate. Harper doesn’t look nearly as cocky facing Robertson as he does with everyone else.

“Hello, Bryce”, DRob mutters. He does not smile. He keeps his eyes locked on to the strike zone. He uncoils his arm and throws…

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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