ERIC GAGNE HIT MARIANO RIVERA ON HIS ELBOW WITH BALL THROWN FROM RED SOX BULLPEN PRIOR TO 9TH INNING

As a result of being hit in the elbow by Eric Gagne, Rivera's arm went numb just prior to his entering the 9th inning of a game the Yankees desperately needed to win:

• "September 17, 2007 -- BOSTON - Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth inning of last night's game moments after his right arm went numb when hit by an errant toss that came from the Red Sox bullpen that adjoins the Yankees' pen beyond Fenway Park's right-field fence.

As Rivera prepared to protect a two-run lead in the bottom of the eighth, he was struck in the back of the elbow by a ball thrown wildly by Eric Gagne.

"It came in hot," said Yankees reliever Ron Villone, who witnessed the scary moment. "He couldn't feel his arm; it was numb. We were in the bullpen saying, 'Oh no."

• From article by George King, NY Post, 9/17/07, "Yanks Der-ek to Dream Big."

I guess ESPN was too busy bashing Rivera to care about the real story of that inning. Even so-called Yankee blogs today were in a rush to say Mo had an off night; the NY Times rushed to call it "shaky" last night. Now, even Joel Sherman calls this precision pitch by Gagne an "accident."

• "Thus, Rivera was handed a 4-2 lead in the ninth. But because Yankees-Red Sox can always use more plot twists, Rivera came in at less than 100 percent. While warming up in the eighth inning, he was accidentally struck on his right elbow by a ball thrown in the Red Sox bullpen. According to Ron Villone, Rivera "couldn't feel his arm."

That explains why a man who had walked eight men all year, walked two, hit a batter and permitted a double by Julio Lugo. That meant one run in, bases loaded, two down and Big Papi due. Torre visited the mound essentially to break the tension. "What do I say, 'pitch him carefully," Torre joked.

The strategy was handled by Jorge Posada and Rivera. "Attack him and attack him in," Rivera said. "That is my best pitch. That is his powerhouse. Strength vs. strength."

• For Rivera that meant cutter, cutter, cutter, cutter and then one last 93 mph cutter, with a 2-2 count, veering toward Ortiz's hands. Big Papi had a big popout, the ball fittingly landing in Jeter's glove. The final out in the 18th and final game of this regular season between the Yankees and Red Sox had been registered."

From Joel Sherman's NY Post column, 9/17/07, "MAGIC MO-MENT."

• GAGNE MUST BE SUSPENDED IMMEDIATELY FOR THE REST OF 2007. sm

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