Yankees' Yanks' Closer Situation Isn't Open and Shut Even though Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said he might mix and match Dave Robertson and Rafael Soriano, his two best relief pitchers, to close out games in the absence of Mariano Rivera, his use of the bullpen since Rivera was injured Thursday indicates that he intends to use Robertson as the closer and Soriano as the setup man. There were two games in which the Yankees had leads heading into the ninth inning. On Friday, in a relatively close game - a four-run lead - Girardi used Robertson to finish up. On Sunday, with the Yankees again holding a four-run lead, Robertson was stretching in the top of the eighth inning in preparation for the ninth, until Alex Rodriguez put the game out of reach with a three-run homer. After that, Robertson sat back down. Having one closer pitch almost exclusively in the ninth, or maybe get one or two outs in the eighth as well, is the formula to which most managers defer. It is also one that has worked brilliantly for the Yankees since 1997. But that was when they had Rivera anchoring the staff. Now Girardi is not beholden to the traditional role of closers, in which they enter the game for only a save situation. Most of the time, the closer comes in to start the inning, so nobody is on base, and anyone could be at the plate, even the Nos. 7, 8 and 9 hitters. But the Yankees are fortunate that their greatest strength is their bullpen. They just lost perhaps the greatest closer in baseball history, and are replacing him with a reliever who has pitched even better over the last two seasons. Robertson's greatest skill, owing to his ability to get strikeouts and his steely nerve, is the capability to escape from dangerous situations with men on base. If you were Girardi, and C.C. Sabathia was pitching well into the eighth inning, protecting a one-run lead until he gave up a walk and a double, what would you do? Suddenly, the opposition has runners at second and third and nobody out. Would you rather see Soriano, the new nominal setup man, coming in for that situation? Or would it be better to bring in Robertson, the magician who can strand those threatening runners? Or in another situation, the heart of an opponent's batting order is coming up in the eighth. Would Girardi go right to Robertson to face those dangerous hitters, then give the save opportunity to Soriano in the ninth? We may see those situations soon enough, and Robertson said he was perfectly happy with any choice Girardi makes. "I expect that's how he will manage it," Robertson said. Whatever it takes to win a game, that's what I'm on board for. He can use me in any role he wants. Today, most managers use their closers according to the save rule, which was invented by a sportswriter, Jerome Holtzman, and adopted as a rule in 1969. We often see managers go to their closer the moment the tying run is on deck, which is a component of the rule. The former Mets manager Jerry Manuel used his closer strictly according to the rule, and he was not alone. Part of it is because of how closers are paid, which is according to how many saves they earn, and managers do not want closers becoming upset with them because they are losing out on lucrative saves. That was never an issue with Rivera, but even less so with Robertson and Soriano. Girardi can use them any way he chooses without having to worry about complaints from them or their agents. The only thing he may have to worry about is answering questions from sportswriters if his use of the closer goes outside the traditional role. By having a flexible closer system, he opens himself up to second-guessing. But it's a chance to use the right pitcher for the right situation, no matter when it is.