Yankees fans can now breathe at least somewhat of a sigh of relief.

Closer Mariano Rivera – a 12 time All Star and the all-time saves leader with 608 over his illustrious career – announced late Friday afternoon that he will not retire after suffering both a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus in his right knee while shagging fly balls during Thursday’s batting practice in Kansas City.

“I am coming back,” said Rivera, a five time World Series champion. “Write it down in big letters…I’m not going out like this.

“I love to play the game. To me, going out like this isn’t the right way… I don’t think like that. With the strength of the Lord, I have to continue.”

The 42-year-old Rivera’s right knee buckled after he extended his reach for a fly ball near the warning track of left-center field in Kauffman Stadium, causing him to critically injure it. Unlike most pitchers, Rivera actually enjoys shagging fly balls during batting practice, and makes it a part of his daily workout routine.

Rivera publicly hinted at the possibility of this being his final season in the Majors just before the 2012 campaign got underway. With that in mind, everyone who loves/works for the Yankees organization was certainly apprehensive that the freak injury could ultimately be the final straw for the greatest closer to ever take the mound.

But according to Rivera, a decision to not call it a career was made last night after speaking with Dr. David Altchek – the same doctor who performed shoulder surgery on him back in 2008. They discussed a time frame, and Altchek told Rivera that he could return somewhere between three and five months.

“Dr. Altchek said I could be back in three, four, five months,” Rivera said. “He said, ‘You’re a fast healer.’ I will do my due diligence, my research. I will talk to whoever I have to. Yeah, it hurts me, I’m sorry that I let my teammates down, but at the same time, I’m positive. I’m positive. This is going to pass. This is going to pass.”

If the recovery process does work out as Altchek claims the possibility of Rivera returning before this season’s conclusion could be a reality.

The popular consensus is that Yankees manager Joe Girardi will slide setup man David Robertson into the closer’s role until Rivera makes his way back onto the field.

Most believe that Robertson will eventually become the full time closer once Rivera walks away from the game. He is yet to allow a run in 11 innings of work this season, and finished the 2011 season with an astonishing 1.08 ERA and his first All Star Game selection.

Rivera’s contract with New York expires at the end of this year, but he is not concerned about not returning to the team as long he proves that he is healthy and can still get the job done.

The one they called Sandman just smiled and said, “They will want the old goat.”

In nine appearances this season Rivera has posted a 1-1 record, a 2.16 ERA and has converted five out of six save opportunities after blowing one during the first game of the season in Tampa Bay against the Rays.

Image Courtesy of    Anthony Correia / Shutterstock.com

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All Philip Humber wanted in Seattle on Saturday was his first win of the season. It didn’t matter how it came, as long as he got that first one out of the way.

Two hours and 17 minutes and 96 pitches later, the stunned 29-year-old White Sox right hander dropped to his knees in front of the pitcher’s mound and shortly found himself at the bottom of an overjoyed dogpile, as he had just become only the 21st pitcher in Major League history to throw a perfect game, following a 4-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Not even a month into the 2012 campaign and baseball has already seen its first perfect game or no hitter of the season.

You’d have to look back almost two years to recall the last time baseball a perfect game took place – Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay on May 29, 2010 at Florida.

“I don’t even know what to say,” said Humber. “I don’t know what Philip Humber is doing in this list. No idea what my name is doing there, but I’m thankful it’s there.”

Humber, who was drafted in 2004 by the New York Mets with the third overall pick, finally lived up to one of the many high expectations that made him a key component in the 2008 blockbuster deal that sent two-time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana to New York. He is now the third White Sox pitcher to ever throw a perfect game, and the first since Mark Buehrle tossed his back on July 23, 2009.

The perfecto by Humber also gives the White Sox a grand total of 18 no hitters during their existence.

To say that it had been somewhat of a rough road leading up to this point for Humber might qualify as the understatement of the year. Tommy John surgery was necessary shortly after being drafted and a combination of significant Major League struggles and a number of trips between there and Triple A prohibited him from winning his first big league game until 2010 with the Kansas City Royals.

In his first full Major League season last year with Chicago he posted a 9-9 record with a 3.75 ERA in 26 starts.

Humber was absolutely dealing from start to finish. In fact, he did not encounter a three ball count until Mariners center fielder Michael Saunders was ahead 3-0 to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Regaining his composure, Humber came back to strike out Saunders for the first out of the inning.

John Jaso flew out to right for the second out, and before Humber knew it, he was just one batter away from perfection. The only thing that stood between he and baseball immortality was pinch hitter Brendan Ryan, who worked the count to 3-2.

The payoff pitch was a slider well off the plate low and away that Ryan attempted to check his swing at, but the home plate umpire made the call himself and ruled that Ryan had swung. The ball rolled past catcher A.J. Pierzynski momentarily, as Ryan argued the umpire’s call. Ryan was unable to make it halfway down the line by the time Pierzynski gobbled up the ball and lasered it down to first for the 27th out.

And then it was party time.

“I saw it get away from A.J. and saw the umpire ring him up and at that point, a ton of emotions and a lot of joy and excitement,” Humber said. “Most of all, just gratitude. Just thankful for where I’m at.”

With nine strikeouts on the day, a nasty slider like the final pitch was Humber’s bread and butter. Humber’s 96 pitches was the least thrown in a perfect game since former Yankee David Cone’s 88 on July 18, 1999 against the Montreal Expos.

“I was more nervous than I was in the World Series,” said Pierzynski. “There was no build up for this; it just happened. And you want it so bad for the guy on the mound and you want him to have that achievement forever and you want to have him remembered forever. It’s a special thing that Phil did.”

Image Courtesy of    White Sox

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