Mariano Rivera Injury: Yankees Closer Injures Knee While Shagging Fly Balls

Mariano Rivera, the great New York Yankees closer, was carted off the field Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium after appearing to injure his right knee while shagging fly balls during pre-game warm-ups. (via Eye on Baseball's Twitter).

Rivera was carted off the field after being carried by teammates and Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Rivera was seen to be grimacing in pain and holding his knee while being taken off the field.

The team confirmed the injury through its Twitter account.

Sweeny Murti of WFAN tweeted "Just watched Joe Girardi and trainer Mark Littlefield carry Rivera into clubhouse. No weight on right leg, being extremely careful."

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweeted "One witness to Rivera's accident said it looked like "the Derrick Rose play," when the Bulls star tore his ACL last week."

Rivera, 42, has appeared in nine games for New York this season. His record is 1-1 with an ERA of 2.16 and five saves in six opportunities. He struck out eight batters and walked two in 8.1 innings of relief work so far this season.

-- See Pinstripe Alley for more discussion and analysis of the Yankees. Check back with SB Nation New York for more information about Rivera's injury.