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Fifteen years later, the vision of a spooked Mariano Rivera is still embedded in my cranium. One week into the 1997 season, Rivera surrendered a 464-foot homer to Mark McGwire and blew his second save in four chances. Rivera was the new closer for the Yankees, but he was failing in the ninth inning.

As Rivera fielded questions about letting a 1-0 lead disappear at Yankee Stadium, his voice cracked. He searched for the proper words, but he was really searching for the right answers, too. The more Rivera spoke, the more obvious it became that he was a bewildered soul. He was the closer who wasn’t closing.

“I think I need something to get me going,” Rivera said at the time. “I think mentally to get me going I have to try to think like last year. Just think it’s the sixth or the seventh inning instead of thinking, ‘Oh, it’s the eighth or the ninth.’ Just think like last year. I got to do that.”

When David Robertson let a 1-0 lead disappear at the new Yankee Stadium on Wednesday in a 4-1 loss to the Rays, he looked spooked, too. As Robertson answered questions about his first blown save as Rivera’s replacement, I recalled what had happened with Rivera when he first took over the most difficult job in baseball. Rivera needed to use mind games to help him conquer the ninth. That approach might sound simplistic, but it worked.

“I was putting too much pressure on myself,” Rivera explained in June of 1997. “Now I’m relaxed, and I feel confident and loose. I think that’s why I’ve gotten saves. I don’t think it’s the ninth out there.”

Obviously, Rivera scaled any mental hurdles that he needed to scale to excel in the ninth. He jumped over those hurdles and buried them forever in becoming the greatest closer of all time. Rivera has a record 608 career saves and also has 42 saves and a 0.70 ERA in the postseason.

Does Robertson, who dominated the eighth for the Yankees last season, need to mimic Rivera and act as if the ninth isn’t the ninth? Not necessarily. If Robertson thinks that will help him, then, yes, he should follow Rivera’s path and play mental tricks, too. He can act as if this season is 2011, just like Rivera acted like 1997 was 1996.

What Robertson definitely needs to do is have a short memory after he notches a save or blows a save, something Rivera has taught him. What Robertson also needs to do is retain the confidence that he showed last season when he was one of the best relievers in the American League. One disappointing setback to the Rays, which was fueled by a misplaced fastball on Matt Joyce’s three-run homer, doesn’t change who Robertson is and how critical Robertson is to the Yankees.

A few hours after the loss, it seemed as if Robertson had already heeded Rivera’s message about having a short memory. On Robertson’s Twitter account, he wrote about how the loss stunk, but added, “If there is one thing Mo has shown me is how important it is to turn the page.” Then Robertson turned it, via another Tweet. “And, look, it’s already after midnight, which means it’s a new day. Let’s take the series tomorrow.”

Without Rivera, the ninth will be different for the Yankees. It will be more adventurous and more nerve-wracking. Robertson can fill Rivera’s role, but he probably won’t be as smooth as Rivera. Whereas Rivera’s cut fastball caused batters to swing early in the count and could result in a 10-pitch inning and three broken bats, Robertson’s innings are usually more draining. Robertson averages 12 strikeouts per nine innings, so there will be deeper counts. He also walks more batters than Rivera, so that will add to the drama.

Still, Robertson doesn’t have to be an exact replica of Rivera to thrive as a closer. In fact, he can’t be an exact replica of Rivera. No one can. It would be silly to think Robertson could do that. But Robertson has an explosive fastball, a great curveball and steely confidence, which means he has the tools to be a premier closer. He is the right pitcher for the job, a job that even the mighty Rivera had to grow into 15 years ago.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

Andy Pettitte has 240 wins in the Major Leagues, has won another 19 post-season games and also owns five World Series rings. At this point in Pettitte’s glorious career, it would seem that nothing could cause him to react too emotionally. He’s been there and he’s done that. Right? Guess again.

After General Manager Brian Cashman announced that Pettitte would rejoin the Yankees and start on Sunday against the Mariners, Pettitte was elated. When I texted Pettitte and asked him about returning to the mound, Pettitte, who didn’t pitch in 2010, explained that he was thrilled.   

“Words can’t even describe how excited I am to get back,” Pettitte said. “Ready to get back to the grind of the big league season and going through that with this team.”

The Yankees hope that Pettitte will be the same pitcher that he was two years ago, a smart and steady southpaw. While Manager Joe Girardi said that he expected Pettitte to be similar to the pitcher who was 11-3 with a 3.28 earned run average in 2010, Cashman admitted that he expected there would be a “gap” between who Pettitte was then and who Pettitte might be now. The general manager added that it would be unfair to Pettitte to simply anticipate that he will pick up from where he left off in 2010, but Cashman said Pettitte should improve the rotation.

If the Yankees get an anticipated boost from Pettitte, it would be extremely helpful. Before Tuesday’s game against the Rays, the Yankees’ rotation had a 5.54 E.R.A. When Pettitte signed a minor league contract, he was viewed as a luxury. Now that Michael Pineda is out for the season after shoulder surgery and now that the rotation has been unreliable, Pettitte is being viewed as a savior of sorts. He is not a savior, but he is a solid addition. Pettitte’s return gives the Yankees reason to be excited, which he already is.    

“I wouldn’t be doing this,” Pettitte has said, “if I didn’t think I could come back and win.”

Related: Brian Cashman on Andy Pettitte's return

Spotting Mariano Rivera during batting practice was never a chore. A Yankee hitter would blast a shot into the outfield gaps and a blur would bolt across the grass to grab it. That blur was Rivera, who shagged fly balls as part of his pregame routine. It was easy to watch Rivera glide around the outfield.

On a sobering Thursday in Kansas City, it wasn’t easy to watch Rivera in the outfield. It was awful. Awful to watch Rivera land awkwardly after leaping for a ball near the left field warning track, awful to see his face plastered with pain and awful to see him grabbing his damaged right knee. Rivera, the mightiest of closers, looked helpless.

A few hours later, a somber Rivera revealed that he had torn the ACL and meniscus in his knee, a devastating injury. As difficult as it was to watch the replays of Rivera injuring himself, watching his postgame news conference was also wrenching. Rivera’s eyes were moist when he began answering the kind of questions he never wanted to address, a sudden batch of questions about his baseball mortality.

When Rivera was asked if he thought he would ever pitch again, he rubbed his lips with his left hand, blinked away the tears, lifted his eyebrows and grasped for words.

“At this point, I don’t know,” Rivera said. “We have to face this first.”

Journalists are taught to be unbiased. You can’t cover a story ethically and accurately if you let personal feelings influence you. But, with Rivera, that is difficult for me to do in this instance. Rivera is the most gentlemanly player I have covered in more than 20 years around the Yankees. He is classy, polite and genuine, the kind of person who asks you about your life and your family, and really absorbs the responses. Rivera, who is the best at what he does on the mound, might actually be better at what he does off the mound.

So when Rivera’s injury was disclosed, I felt queasy for him and also hoped that he wouldn’t be forced to end his amazing career in such an aching fashion. As a closer, Rivera has almost always been in control while pursuing the final three outs. He is the man who has controlled so much of what happened with the Yankees as they have won five titles since 1996. Now Rivera isn’t in control in 2012 because he can’t pitch. The future Hall of Famer is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Knowing how competitive Rivera is and how excited he was about what was probably going to be his final season, I hope this isn’t the end. If the 42-year old Rivera decides to take on the extensive rehab process and returns to the Yankees, he would decide how his career ends. He would be back in control. That’s the way I would like to see him finish his incredible journey.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

After Freddy Garcia's fiasco of a start on Saturday, he sounded exasperated. As Joe Girardi discussed Garcia's brief outing, the manager sounded puzzled. Those reactions explained how everyone involved with the Yankees felt, too.

Even before Garcia was drubbed for six earned runs in a 7-5 loss to the Tigers, he was close to losing his fragile spot in the rotation. Now it might finally be lost.

The Yankees can't keep starting a pitcher with a 12.51 earned run average and a pitcher who has allowed opponents to bat .403 against him. Basically, Garcia has turned everyone into the equivalent of Ted Williams, circa 1941, this season.

While Girardi didn't say whether Garcia would make another start, he offered enough evidence to indicate that the pitcher will be bypassed. Girardi noted how Garcia's velocity has decreased on all of his pitches and how his pitches don't have their typical sharpness. Teams are taking pitches against Garcia early in counts, causing him to fall behind and further inhibiting his ability to exploit them with his splitter or slider.

"Freddy knows what's going on," Girardi said at one point, which seemingly meant that Garcia knows he is in a precarious spot.

If the Yankees decide to jettison Garcia from the rotation, there's an easy way for them to set up their pitching. The Yankees could start David Phelps against the Royals on May 3, which is the next time Garcia's spot in the rotation comes up. Phelps tossed three scoreless innings on Saturday and has a 3.57 E.R.A. Right now, he would give the Yankees a better chance to win than Garcia.

After that start on May 3, the Yankees can utilize an off day on May 7 to insure that they won't need that spot in the rotation again until May 12. By then, Andy Pettitte will have made two more minor league starts and would presumably be ready to return to the Yankees.

Since Garcia has notched just five outs in each of his last two starts, it makes sense to give him a break and give Phelps a start. If Phelps pitches well, he could even end up staying in the rotation because Phil Hughes has also struggled.

When Girardi fielded questions about Garcia's future, he said he needed "to sleep on it" before making any decisions. With or without the extra sleep, Girardi knows that he can't keep starting a pitcher who is that ineffective and who taxes his bullpen. That will only lead to more exasperation and more puzzlement.

One day later, there was still a sobering quality to Brian Cashman's voice. He sounded forlorn and fatigued, which was apt. Thursday was a difficult day in Yankeeland, a day when Cashman announced that Michael Pineda had an anterior labral tear in his right shoulder and would miss the next 12 months.

The excitement that Cashman felt after acquiring Pineda from the Seattle Mariners in a four-player trade three months ago had been replaced by the frigid reality that Pineda won't throw a pitch in 2012. So the power pitcher who was supposed to be an essential part of a rotation that could guide the Yankees to the postseason has become a bystander.

"It is what it is," Cashman said. "And it's not good."

Cashman believes that Pineda injured himself on the final pitch that he threw in extended Spring Training last week. After Pineda's setback, Cashman admitted that he wondered "if something was there" and if something was wrong. Cashman said, "You hope you're not going to get that kind of news," but, of course, the Yankees did get the news that Pineda would need arthroscopic surgery.

For the second straight day, Cashman recited the extensive tests that the Yankees did on Pineda's elbow and shoulder, and emphasized that they didn't get a damaged pitcher from the Mariners. Cashman called Pineda's medical records "very clean" and said that Pineda injured himself while he was a member of the Yankees.

"The guy," Cashman said, "was healthy."

As the Yankees move forward without Pineda, they must hope that Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia, who are a combined 1-4 with an 8.68 earned run average, can be much more productive. Hughes's velocity has returned, but he has been inefficient and ineffective. Garcia, who was so reliable last season, hasn't fooled many hitters. 

"Our first priority is to get these guys to correct themselves on the run," Cashman said. "You can't expect to pull the plug on them after four starts."

Since Cashman thinks Andy Pettitte needs at least two more Minor League starts before the Yankees will even consider promoting him to the Major Leagues, both Hughes and Garcia are going to get more opportunities. As distressing as Pineda's injury is to the Yankees, it provides a chance for Hughes or Garcia to redeem themselves. While Cashman mentioned David Phelps and D.J. Mitchell as potential options in the rotation, his preference is to see Hughes or Garcia rebound.

In the 365-24-7 world of instant analysis, there are many fans and media members who have already declared the Yankees the losers in the Pineda trade. To get Pineda and 19-year old pitcher Jose Campos, the Yankees moved Jesus Montero, their top prospect, and Hector Noesi. To me, it's a foolish notion to select a winner and a loser in a trade that involves four players who are 24 years old or younger, and a trade where the players have yet to even play one month with their new teams.

If Pineda didn't get injured and won 15 games and had a 3.50 ERA, if Montero hit .240 with 10 homers and if Noesi had a 4-10 record and a 5.50 ERA, it would also be silly to say that the Yankees won the trade. A trade like this takes several years to evaluate, but Cashman accepted the instant analysis of the marquee trade.

"Right now, I understand it," Cashman said. "I understand people are frustrated and they have the right to express their frustration. I'm frustrated, too."

That frustration over losing Pineda will linger, but it can't define the Yankees or throttle the Yankees. Without Pineda, the Yankees still have enough capable starters. It's simply a matter of those starters performing at a higher level than they have this season. Ivan Nova is the only starter that has thrived, as the rotation has a 5.73 ERA and has been a weakness.

In assessing Pineda's loss, Cashman rightfully noted that "this team isn't built around Michael Pineda." With those words, Cashman meant that the strength of the team is "the sum of its parts."

The Yankees are a talented team, a club that should be able to withstand the loss of one talented pitcher.

"My job is to collect assets and pool them together so that we have a winning team," Cashman said. "Unfortunately, one of those assets isn't available. And it hurts. It makes the journey a little tougher."

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

As Russell Martin discussed the rekindling of the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox, he had a look of anticipation on his face. It was the look of a boxer before an important bout against a despised rival. It was the look of someone who was anxious to try and spoil Boston’s 100^th anniversary celebration of Fenway Park on Friday.

“When you play Boston,” Martin said, “the only thing you care about is beating them.”

Obviously, that is the same attitude the Yankees have when they play any team. Whether it is the Red Sox, the Rays or the Rangers, the Yankees want to win every game. But Martin meant that the conquests between the Yankees and the Red Sox are a bit different. There is a different type of intensity when the Yankees roll 200 miles north and end up as guests at Fenway.

“It starts with the fans,” Martin said. “There’s energy when you take the field. Every play is magnified. The fans give us that energy.”

Maybe this trip to Boston will be timely for the Yankees. Maybe that boost of energy will help a team that has looked stale in starting the season with a 7-6 record. The Yankees have been burdened by ineffective starting pitching (5-5, 5.59 ERA) and inconsistency in clutch hitting situations. For the Yankees to flourish in a difficult American League East, they need their starters to be much more reliable. The rotation was supposed to be a definite strength, but, so far, it’s been a weakness.

After CC Sabathia’s last Spring Training start, he was worried about his fastball command and those concerns have lingered as he has labored in his first three starts. Ivan Nova, who will face the Red Sox on Friday, has actually been the Yankees’ most consistent starter with a 2-0 record and a 4.15 ERA. Phil Hughes notched his first victory on Thursday, but he continues to struggle with deep counts and the inability to bury hitters. Hiroki Kuroda has made three starts: one was superb, one was decent and one was poor. Freddy Garcia has looked lost in both of his starts. Andy Pettitte, who is supposed to be another pitcher and not a rotation savior, can’t arrive soon enough.

If not for a tremendous bullpen, which leads the Major Leagues with a 1.83 ERA, the Yankees would be in a more perilous situation. While the Yankees are focused on their own pitching, sometimes it’s impossible to ignore what is transpiring with the Red Sox. If the Yankees think their pitchers have been problematic, they should realize that the Red Sox pitchers have been worse. Boston has a 6.79 ERA, its worst ERA through the first 12 games since 1928. Fenway celebrated its sweet 16 back then.

The Red Sox want to celebrate Fenway on Friday, as they should. But manager Bobby Valentine also wants to begin transforming a team that is 4-8. Valentine caused a ruckus in Boston by saying he didn’t think Kevin Youkilis was as emotionally and physically prepared as he had been in the past. The words stung Youkilis. Dustin Pedroria defended Youkilis and took verbal jabs at Valentine. Guess what? The Red Sox better get used to potential firestorms like that. Valentine is only one answer away from the next one.

Both Martin and Derek Jeter sidestepped questions about Valentine, saying that they didn’t know him very well. Like Martin, Jeter spoke about how the Red Sox fans “are on top of you” and how that is “good and bad.” Jeter and Alex Rodriguez get booed as much as any Yankees, although Martin pushed himself into contention for the most vilified Yankee by saying he hated the Red Sox last year.  

“Do I still hate them?” Martin said, repeating a question. “I never really hated them. It made for good paper.”

And it was also good for the rivalry, a rivalry that continues on Friday. The Yankees will watch as Boston sings a 100^th Happy Birthday to Fenway, but, as Martin stressed, the only thing they care about is beating the Red Sox.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

The final games of spring training were disappearing off the schedule for the Yankees. So, naturally, thoughts were drifting toward the games that mattered. Well, almost everyone was thinking about the regular season. Derek Jeter was still thinking about getting hits in meaningless spring games.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

When the Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers in the Division Series last October, the defeat stung CC Sabathia for several weeks. The season ended abruptly, too abruptly for Sabathia. He was hoping the Yankees could power their way to another World Series title. Instead, the Yankees limped home.

Six months later, the Yankees are trying to replace the disappointment of 2011 with a different ending in 2012. Sabathia will throw the Yankees’ first pitch of a new season against the Rays on Friday, which is the tiniest of steps in what he believes can be a championship season. There will be thousands of pitches thrown before the Yankees can prove if they can make another title a reality.

With Sabathia, the Yankees have an ace they can trust. While every Major League team has a No. 1 starter, not every No. 1 is truly as elite as pitchers like Sabathia, Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, Tim Lincecum or Clayton Kershaw. When a No. 1 pitcher starts a postseason game, his team has no doubt about the outcome. He might lose, but that confident feeling never fades.

That’s what Sabathia gives the Yankees.

“I take being an ace very seriously,” said Sabathia, who had a subpar final two months in 2011.

Still, in analyzing the 2012 Yankees, there’s little reason to wonder about what Sabathia will do for them. He is reliable and productive, and can be expected to pitch 230 innings, win close to 20 games and have an earned run average around 3.00. The Yankees won’t sweat over Sabathia. To me, there are three players who will be scrutinized more than any Yankees: Alex Rodriguez, Phil Hughes and Michael Pineda.

For Rodriguez, the most important goal is staying healthy. Rodriguez was limited to 99 games in 2011 because of knee and thumb injuries and had the worst statistical season of his career. After an offseason in which Rodriguez had blood-spinning procedures on his shoulder and knee, he is confident that he can return to being a premier hitter again.

“I feel very good about what I did in the spring,” Rodriguez said. “Now it’s time to get started.”

If Rodriguez can stay on the field and be an effective offensive player, the Yankees’ lineup is deeper and more fearsome. When Rodriguez is producing, Kevin Long, the batting coach, said that Rodriguez’s teammates simply have to be themselves, not exceed expectations. That’s how valuable the third baseman can be.

During Hughes’ career, he has been a valuable pitcher for the Yankees, but he has also been an erratic pitcher. After an unsettling 2011 in which Hughes was plagued by a fatigued arm, he worked out diligently in the offseason and dedicated himself to getting into better shape. Hughes understood that he needed to fight to win a job in the spring. He did that by pitching as well as any Yankee starter with a 1.56 ERA. Now Hughes must use his rediscovered fastball and pitch with the same swagger he displayed in the first half of the 2010 season.

“I feel like I’ve done the things I had to do this spring,” Hughes said.

The same cannot be said of Pineda. Even before Pineda went on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder tendinitis, this was certain to be a challenging season. General manager Brian Cashman said Pineda reported to Tampa, Fla., about 20 pounds overweight, which didn’t delight the Yankees.

The Yankees implored Pineda to develop his changeup, a pivotal third pitch to accompany his fastball and slider. Pineda refined his changeup, but his fastball lacked velocity. The pitcher who was supposed to throw 98-mile per hour fastballs was mostly throwing in the low 90’s. The Yankees hope Pineda will rediscover that velocity after his shoulder heals.

With Pineda sidelined, the Yankees have a rotation of Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Hughes, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia. Andy Pettitte will probably be ready for the Major Leagues by May. Pineda’s timetable for returning is uncertain.

Whichever pitchers wind up following Sabathia in the rotation throughout 2012, Sabathia is confident that the Yankees have a talented enough team to win it all. In 2009, Sabathia’s first year in New York, he helped steer the Yankees to a World Series championship. The memories of that season provide motivation for Sabathia.

“After having the parade and going through that whole experience,” Sabathia said, “you want that again.”

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

Freddy Garcia is a reliable starter, a back-end-of-the-rotation pitcher who wins with guile and a fastball that averages around 87 miles per hour. Garcia isn’t someone whose presence should stunt the growth of pitchers that are at least a decade younger than him, pitchers named Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and Michael Pineda.

When the Yankees assembled for Spring Training last month, I expected that Garcia would end up as the sixth starter and the man without a spot in the rotation. The Yankees signed Garcia to a one-year, $4 million contract last November, but then they acquired Pineda from the Seattle Mariners and added Hiroki Kuroda as a free agent. Garcia’s grip on a rotation spot vanished.

With one week left before Opening Day, I still think the most sensible thing for the Yankees to do is to shift Garcia to the bullpen. Nova’s statistics haven’t been pretty (6.86 earned run average), but he won 16 games last year and emerged as the No. 2 starter. It would be careless to ignore what Nova did in 2011 because of some shabby spring innings. Pineda’s velocity isn’t where the Yankees want it to be, but he has averaged about a strikeout per inning, has a 3.31 ERA. and is refining his changeup. An invigorated Hughes has been so effective that he should be the third starter behind CC Sabathia and Kuroda. Garcia is 35 years old, Hughes and Nova are 25, and Pineda is 23.

As the Yankees go forward, Nova, Pineda and Hughes are much more important to their future than Garcia. Garcia is an insurance policy in case any of the starters gets injured or falters and he could also become a trade chip. Once Andy Pettitte returns in May, the Yankees will need to bounce a starter from the rotation. That will be a difficult decision. For now, the rotation decision is easier: Move Garcia to the bullpen, and let Nova, Pineda and Hughes continue to grow.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

TAMPA – Andy Pettitte has ended his retirement to sign a 1-year, minor league contract with the Yankees that will pay him $2.5 million. Less than three weeks after Pettitte visited spring training as a guest instructor here, the 39-year old will soon rejoin the team as an experienced left-handed starter.

The Yankees needed starters last season and had hoped Pettitte would pitch for them, but he retired after going 11-3 with a 3.28 earned run average in 2010 and stayed retired. But the Yankees have always communicated to Pettitte that they would be interested in re-signing him if he ever wanted to rekindle his career. That is exactly what Pettitte wants to do.

When Pettitte visited here in late February, I asked him if being around some of his former teammates gave him an itch to try a comeback. Pettitte, who looked as lean as he did when he played, acknowledged that he did have some of those feelings.

“I’m sure I could,” Pettitte said, about returning. “You start training, working out and get yourself into shape. I would imagine I could.”

But then Pettitte dismissed the possibility of coming back.

“I retired after one of my better years,” said Pettitte, who is 240-138 in his career. “I felt like I was at the point where I just kind of knew what I was doing mechanically out there on the mound and stuff like that. But I retired to go home and be with my family, and that’s why I retired.”

Now Pettitte is coming out of retirement to be with the Yankees, his second family. By signing a minor league deal, Pettitte can take his time in getting prepared to pitch in the Major Leagues again. The Yankees view Pettitte as an excellent addition to a deep rotation, a familiar face and, more importantly, a familiar arm to have for the 2012 season.   

More Andy Pettitte: Top 9 Moments  |  Trivia  |  Video  |  Stats

TAMPA – There are hundreds of stories in the Yankees’ clubhouse here. There are superstars and players who are trying to become superstars. There are solid players, useful players and marginal players. There are players who are trying to prolong careers.

Dewayne Wise is one of those chasers, a player who is trying to snatch some more games and more paychecks.

Two lockers away from Derek Jeter, there is a locker for Wise, a 34-year old outfielder with a lifetime average of .219 and a scar alongside his nose. He made one of the most memorable catches in history and he has twice appeared in the postseason, but he acknowledged that his career “is winding down.” Wise wants to end it on a championship team, which is why he signed a Minor League deal with the Yankees.

The roster situation on the Yankees isn’t encouraging for Wise, who will almost definitely open the season at Class AAA. Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher are the starting outfielders, and Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones are the reserves. Unless someone gets injured, Wise, who has played 445 Major League games across the last 12 seasons, will be a Minor Leaguer in April.

“If I don’t start out with the team, I’ll go down to the Minors and fight my way back here,” Wise said. “That’s what I’ve always done.”

Before Wise signed, he knew it would be difficult to muscle his way into a roster spot. But Wise, who was 7-for-16 (.438 average) before Friday’s game against the Nationals, still chose the Yankees over other teams. Why?

“Because,” Wise said, “I’ve heard for the two years that the Yankees wanted me.”

Wise was right. The Yankees have had an interest in adding Wise for outfield depth.

“We’ve been trying to sign him for the last few years,” said general manager Brian Cashman.

Cashman explained how arduous it can be to find a reserve outfielder who plays above average defense in center. Wise is that type of player. If Granderson or Gardner ever missed an extended period with an injury, Cashman said he could rely on Wise to provide solid defense in center or left. While Wise isn’t an offensive force, he has a .264 average and three of his 22 career homers are against the Yankees.

But it’s Wise’s defense and versatility that impressed Cashman.

“He’s insurance,” Cashman said. “If something happens, he gives us insurance.”

Wise plays very shallow in center, a product of being a wide receiver in high school. Because of Wise’s roots as an All-State receiver in South Carolina, he has always been comfortable with retreating to retrieve baseballs. In some exhibition games, Wise has looked as if he was close enough to take a few steps forward and tap Jeter on the back. He knows he is extremely shallow, but smiled and said, “I have no problems going back on balls.”

The most indelible moment in Wise’s career came when he rushed back on a fly ball and made a phenomenal catch to help preserve Mark Buehrle’s perfect game on July 23, 2009. Wise was inserted for defense in the ninth and he was immediately needed.

With Tampa Bay’s Gabe Kapler batting, Wise was, as usual, playing shallow. Kapler hammered a ball to left center field, a shot that looked like it would spoil Buehrle’s bid for perfection. Wise took his eye off the ball, sprinted toward the fence, recovered to find the ball again and leaped over the fence to snare the ball. The ball popped out of his glove as he fell, but Wise snatched it with his bare hand before tumbling on the warning track. It was a remarkable catch which was made even more remarkable because of the situation.

“Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t ask me about that play,” Wise said.

Now Wise is just trying to get on the field to make a play, any play, for the Yankees. Wade knows he will likely have to push his way through the Minor Leagues to make that happen later this season.

Playing baseball is what Wise does and what he wants to keep doing. When Wise was in the third grade, he wrote an essay about how he would become a Major Leaguer. As part of the assignment, he drew a stick figure baseball player. That stick figure still hangs from his mother’s Christmas tree every year.

“Got my thumbprint and everything on it,” Wise said.

The third-grader who drew the stick figure did become a big leaguer. Now Wise’s hope is that he gets to add some pinstripes to his resume. Yes, there are hundreds of stories in the Yankees’ clubhouse. Wise is one of them, a very cool one.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

TAMPA – The Yankees can exhale. David Robertson has a bone bruise on the top of his right foot, which is an encouraging development for the Yankees. He will continue wearing a walking boot until Monday before removing it and resuming some baseball activities.

After two anxious days in which Robertson underwent several medical tests to determine the extent of his injury, the Yankees were relieved that their superb setup man isn’t expected to miss any meaningful games.

“It’s a huge relief,” said manager Joe Girardi. He added, “This is as good as it gets for us.”

While Girardi said he couldn’t predict how quickly Robertson would heal, he said he “would think” that Robertson would be ready for the season opener. Before the Yankees said that Robertson had a bone bruise, he spoke optimistically about throwing by Monday or Tuesday. Now it appears as Robertson will probably be able to do that.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES