SI Vault Postseason On the Brink November 09, 2009 It was not
just the Yankees' money (the most in the majors), mojo (plenty)
and talent (the game's best) that pushed the defending champion
Phillies to the edge, it was a relentlessness not seen since the
days of the last pinstriped dynasty Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font November 09, 2009  Postseason On The
Brink   View CoverRead All Articles  Sunday night, midnight
approaching, and Mariano Rivera, glove in pitching hand, head
bowed ever modestly, jogged across the outfield grass in that
familiar, slightly pigeon-toed canter, the universal baseball
symbol of closing time. It could have been just about any autumn
in the last 14 autumns, the tableau and the pitcher's greatness
equally unchanged, as if preserved in amber. Upon his entry in
the ninth inning of Game 4 of the World Series, Rivera had
appeared in more World Series games, 23, than any other pitcher
in baseball history. ¶ Off to the New York closer's right, a
less familiar scene