The rain kept coming in the Bronx, never severe but never quite letting up. The first-place Rays had been playing from behind since Raul Ibanez's home run in the fourth, and in section 212 of Yankee Stadium, two rows into the coveted dry area out in right field, I wondered if this would be the night.

Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in baseball history, tore his ACL on Thursday while shagging batting practice flies in Kansas City. After 608 career saves, a staggering 0.70 postseason ERA, and anything else you'd ever want in the witches' brew of a Hall of Famer, the 42-year-old's career was in jeopardy. He pulled a MacArthur and vowed to return, but now there are complications. And even if he does return, his words — mostly of the I can't go out like this variety — carry a prideful aura. He wants to prove a point, and he wants to have his farewell tour.

Which is great and completely deserved, but it probably means the Rivera Era is done.