For Yankees, all the comforts of Mo

He's so good, if title on line, how early would Girardi call?

Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- There is no one the Yankees would rather see jogging confidently out of the bullpen gates on Wednesday than Mariano Rivera, and that should be no surprise to anyone with even a passing interest in baseball.

If No. 42 moves across the outfield, it likely means the Yankees have a lead to protect against the Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series, with their 27th championship on the line. The scenario is so appealing, it is going to be difficult to wait until the ninth inning to see it -- and maybe even the eighth.

The great Rivera is almost 40 years old now, leaning on the one pitch that got him here, and somehow just as dominant as ever. In a postseason that has seen managers fret over picking up the telephone to summon their closers, Rivera has given the Yankees incredible comfort time and time again.

"To me, the game's on the line," Rivera said. "And when you're there, you just don't think about tomorrow. You just want to win that game."

In 11 postseason appearances this autumn, Rivera has limited opponents to one run on nine hits in 14 1/3 innings, an 0.63 ERA. He has walked four (one intentionally) and struck out 13, holding batters to a .176 average, and his late-moving cutter might wind up being the biggest difference in this World Series.

"It's not a luxury every team has," Derek Jeter said. "There isn't a closer that's has ever played this game that you'd want to see in that position other than him. He comes around once in a lifetime."

Rivera's story has been told so many times, a career that has now spanned 14 seasons and saw him here in 1996, the fresh-faced setup man for John Wetteland as the seeds began to sprout into what would become the Yankees' powerhouse dynasty.

Now, 526 saves later, plus 39 more in the postseason, the Yankees are tempted to empty the tank and dump Rivera's cutter on the Phillies to "win one for the Boss" and place another championship trophy on George M.