After missing almost a week due to a groin strain, Mariano Rivera shut down the Tampa Bay Rays in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
Rivera walked Pat Burrell to begin the ninth inning, but retired the next three batters to pick up his 39th save in 40 opportunities.
"I was kind of tentative with the first batter, trying to see how it was. But after that, it was nothing," Rivera told the New York Daily News. "It was more mental, just feeling how I was, but it responded real well. I'm not going to worry about it. I threw enough pitches to test it, so it was fine."
Rivera, who is 1-2 with a 1.75 ERA in 56 2/3 innings this season, moved past Cy Young with his 907th career appearance, ranking him 20th on baseball's all-time list.
The save was Rivera's 35th in a row, a personal record. He is 54-for-55 in save opportunities against the Rays in his career and 23-for-23 against them in the Bronx.
