After 'Sandman,' Rivera sets himself apart

The opening chords to "Enter Sandman" blared through the speakers and Mariano Rivera was announced as the reliever entering the game.

This wasn't Yankee Stadium and this wasn't No. 42 on the mound -- it was No. 44 -- but the zeros on the scoreboard were still present.

Rivera III, the Nationals prospect and son of baseball's famed Yankees closer, spun two scoreless innings while striking out four in his professional debut as Class A Short Season Auburn topped State College, 9-5, on Tuesday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

"I knew they were going to try to mess around with me, so I was almost anticipating [the song], but I didn't think they would do it. But they did it and it's their way of having fun," the 21-year-old said. "For me, I have to stay in the zone and go out there and what I have prepared, I have to execute it. So playing that song, it didn't really affect me."

Before his father's former walkup song reverberated around the stadium, Rivera wasn't even sure whether he was going to be able to make his debut.

"This morning I was like, 'Finally, the day has come.' I was worried because it was raining up here so I didn't know if the game was going to happen," the fourth-round pick said. "First professional start, I was very excited, very nervous, but I knew I had a job to do and I knew the skipper had appointed me a role that he knew I was going to be able to handle.

"So that's how I thought about it, I said, 'Listen, I have a job to do and I'm not going to let the team down.'"

After the Doubledays posted a four-spot in the sixth to take the lead, manager Gary Cathcart called on the right-hander to shore it up. That's when Spikes' director of in-game entertainment, Ben Love, and his production staff cued up the Metallica classic.

When the song finished, it was baseball as usual. Rivera tossed a 1-2-3 sixth inning and returned for the seventh, when he ran into some trouble. The Iona College product allowed singles to Danny Martin and Michael Pritchard to start the frame, but knew what he had to do to get out of it.

"I was just trying to get my timing down from the stretch, I'm always used to pitching in the windup, never really had to go to the stretch. So coming from the stretch, it's different to me," Rivera said. "But I just wanted to have my timing down and once I figured that out, it was just smooth sailing from there."

The righty struck out the side to end the threat and record his first professional hold. He was the only Doubledays pitcher to not allow a run.

"It was a sense of relief, but at the same time, it was a sense of happiness because I was able to get the job done and keep the lead that we had going for the Doubledays that we worked very hard to get," he said. "It's a moment I won't forget, it's a moment that I'll have for the rest of my career and my life."

While the younger Rivera is his own pitcher with a different arsenal, he has a similar confidence in his go-to pitch.

"As a pitcher, I'm very aggressive, I work quickly and I always want to attack hitters. I don't have the cut fastball like my dad did. I have a slider and I trust that slider in whatever count to do the job," he said. "It's a pitch that I know exactly where it's going to land, almost every time. I'm not perfect so I say almost every time, but I'm a fastball, slider-type of guy."

Rivera will have to wait until Wednesday to fill his family in on his debut since they are on vacation in Israel, but he is already reflecting on Day 1.

"One thing I learned today was keep calm and stay within yourself and make sure your timing is right," the 5-foot-11 hurler said. "So every outing, I want to learn something, I want to get as much experience under my belt as I can and continue on from there."

Reliever Joey Webb (2-0), who allowed a run on two hits while striking out three in two frames, picked up the win. Grant Borne yielded a run on three hits and a walk with two punchouts in two innings for his first save.

Spikes reliever Tyler Bray (0-1) was tagged four runs on three hits and a walk with one strikeout while recording just two outs.