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New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera underwent surgery on his vocal cords on Dec. 2.
Once he gets a second opinion from another doctor, New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera will soon know if he needs to have surgery on his vocal cords which have been bothering him for a month. Rivera will be at the doctor's office again next Monday.
Rivera said about the situation (via New York Daily News) "I thought it was a little simple thing and I went to the doctor and she said they might have to do something. I think they have to scrape them."
Rivera turns 42 on Nov. 29. Even if this current ailment isn't the source of concern for Rivera, he's clearly been pondering retirement lately. On Tuesday, Rivera said (via New York Post) "I don't know what will happen, I have one year left. I might call it over. I will know more in spring training."
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had no comment as Rivera's injury is not baseball related.
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At a recent charity event, one word New York Yankees fans don't want to hear regarding veteran reliever Mariano Rivera came up: surgery. Rivera will be conferring with a doctor next Monday, Nov. 28 to determine whether or not he will need surgery, on his vocal cords, not his right arm.
Rivera said "It's been a month. Every time I talk it gets worse and worse." Whether Rivera's recovery time after surgery to scrape his vocal cords would keep him out of spring training cannot be determined at this time. The 41-year-old did say that "When you are talking about surgery nothing is simple.
Rivera is MLB's all-time saves leader (603), 12-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion. During his Yankees' career which began back in 1995, Rivera has a regular season record of 75-57 with an ERA of 2.21. He has 1,111 strikeouts in 1,211.1 innings pitched. During the postseason, Rivera is 8-1 with 42 saves. His ERA is only 0.70 in the playoffs and he's recorded 110 strikeouts in 141 innings pitched.
Mariano Rivera's Agent Says His Client's Vocal Cord Surgery 'Went Fine'
New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera had surgery on his ailing vocal cords today at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Rivera's agent Fernando Cuza said that the surgery "went fine". He had not talked directly to his client, but said he talked to Rivera's wife:
Rivera's doctor removed one or more polyps (the number was not clear) from his vocal cords during the surgery. He will await the results of a biopsy although the doctor felt that the polyp(s) were probably benign. Rivera will not be allowed to talk for a week.
Rivera's throat had been bothering him for more than a month before the surgery today. He even speculated that he might retire after the 2012 season but would know more about his situation during Spring Training.
For more Yankees coverage visit our team page or Pinstripe Alley
Dec 02 7:05p by Pat Johnston