Between 2003 and 2012, Mariano Rivera appeared in 603 consecutive games as Yankees closer without going on the disabled list once. David Robertson appeared in three games as Yankees closer before getting shut down. Sheesh, and I always figured out replacing Rivera would be easy.
RHP David Robertson placed on 15-day DL with left oblique strain; RHP Cody Eppley recalled from SWB: atmlb.com/JeP6BE
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 15, 2012
Oblique injuries are tricky -- Cliff Lee just missed three weeks, but other pitchers have been out for months with similar injuries.
Cody Eppley is a 26-year-old right-hander who has appeared in five innings for the Yankees already this year. He's off to a fantastic start in triple-A this year, striking out 13 and walking one in nine innings. For his career, he's struck out 10.3 batters for every nine innings he's pitched in the minors, so he's fooling someone out there. ESPN Dallas took a look at him last year when he was in the Rangers' system:
Servais: He has a very similar body style to what Darren O'Day is. He had a pretty good sinker, but he was 87-90 mph at three quarter arm position. So we took him lower and he became much more deceptive and continued to throw strikes. Last year, he even hit 91 mph, which is harder than most guys throw at that angle.