old to do that,\' Rivera said with a smile. \'Youve got to have

NEW YORK -- Joe Girardi remembers the first time he caught Mariano Rivera, before the start of the 1996 season, back when he was still a player. cheap nfl jerseys . "I was like, Who is this kid?" Girardi recalled. "Im like, Man, this kid is special." Girardi is the Yankees manager now. Rivera is no longer a kid. Hes still something special, though. The 41-year-old Rivera became the first pitcher in major-league history to make 1,000 appearances with the same team on Wednesday, cleaning up the ninth inning of a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on a sun-splashed afternoon in the Bronx. Andruw Jones tried to steal the show by cracking a pair of two-run homers, and Mark Teixeira also hit a two-run shot, while Freddy Garcia (3-4) pitched well for 6 1-3 innings. But once the game reached the ninth and "Enter Sandman" played over the loudspeakers at Yankee Stadium, the crowd of 43,201 knew that the day would forever belong to Mo. "You have to be old to do that," Rivera said with a smile. "Youve got to have the right combination, I guess, an organization willing to keep you around and you doing your job." The 11-time all-star is the 15th player to reach 1,000 appearances, during that time helping the franchise to 15 playoffs and five World Series titles. Next up on the list for Rivera is former Yankee Goose Gossage, who appeared in 1,002 games during his career. Jesse Orosco is the all-time leader with 1,252 appearances. "Hes never really fooled people," Girardi said, musing about Riveras cut fastball. "Mo has said, Here it is. Its going to cut, its going to sink and Im going to throw it where I want, and try to do something with it. And I cant think of another pitcher whos done that." Jones homered in the second inning and Teixeira in the third off Jo-Jo Reyes (0-4), who matched a major-league record by making his 28th consecutive start without a win. Jones, who went 3 for 3, also hit a rocket off Luis Perez over the centre field wall in the sixth inning. It was Jones 41st multihomer game and first since May 1, 2010, when he went deep twice at Yankee Stadium as a member of the Chicago White Sox. "They left a couple of pitches over the plate and I took advantage of them," Jones said. The homer binge helped Girardi pass current Orioles skipper Buck Showalter for eighth place on the Yankees managerial wins list. Girardi has 314 victories in pinstripes. Juan Rivera, Eric Thames and Jayson Nix each drove in a run for Toronto, but the big bat of Jose Bautista went quiet again. The majors home run leader managed a lone single. Reyes never really gave himself a chance to earn a win, allowing back-to-back doubles by Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson to start the game. The run that Jeter scored pushed him past Cap Anson (1,712) for 23rd place on baseballs career runs scored list. By the time Reyes left after the third inning, the Blue Jays trailed 5-0 and the left-hander was assured of another frustrating afternoon without a victory. "Im not worried about that streak," he said. "When I step on the rubber, all Im worried about is executing the pitch." He hasnt done that enough. At least, not for quite a while. Reyes hasnt been the winning pitcher since June 13, 2008, when he beat the Los Angeles Angels as a member of the Atlanta Braves. His 28-game winless stretch matches that of Matt Keough, who didnt win a game for the Athletics from Sept. 6, 1978, to Aug. 8, 1979. "Jo-Jo wasnt as sharp as hes been. He didnt have a consistent location or a consistent command and it cost him," Toronto manager John Farrell said. "Regardless if its a guy coming off of the bench for them, like Jones, they have a potent lineup." Notes: Keough tossed a complete game in his next start, a 6-1 win over Milwaukee on Sept. 5, 1979. ... Toronto caught Granderson asleep at second base in the first inning. Bautista made a diving grab in right and chased Teixeira back with a throw to first. Granderson was still at third, so Juan Rivera threw to second for the rare 9-3-6 double play. ... Yankees setup man Rafael Soriano could be out two months after a visit Wednesday with Dr. James Andrews confirmed he has an inflamed ligament in his right elbow, GM Brian Cashman said. jerseys from china . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making a case for saving coach Greg Schianos job with a strong second-half turnaround. wholesale jerseys . Doneil Henry, the man who scored Toronto FCs last-gasp game winner Saturday, knows that probably better than anyone. ST. LOUIS -- Yadier Molina and the St. Louis Cardinals are back in the playoff picture. Molina had three hits, including a three-run double, as the Cardinals beat the slumping Atlanta Braves 6-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep. The Cardinals pulled within 4 1/2 games of NL wildcard-leading Atlanta and remained six games behind Central-leading Milwaukee They have 16 games left and open a three-game set in Pittsburgh on Monday. The Braves start a three-game series with the Marlins on Monday and have 15 games remaining. "I feel like we are (in the race) if we keep winning," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "Its exciting baseball. Guys have come through all over the roster. We got a shot." The Cardinals know they have left themselves no margin for error. "It doesnt mean anything if you go and you dont have a good road trip," first baseman Albert Pujols said. "Were just going to continue playing and at the end of the road trip well see where we are." Atlanta has dropped seven straight games at Busch Stadium and hasnt won in St. Louis since Sept. 13, 2009. The Braves lost six of eight on their road trip. "We did nothing right," Braves star Chipper Jones said of the road stint. Jake Westbrook (12-8) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings for the Cardinals. Jason Motte pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save in eight chances. "It was a good win for us," Westbrook said. "I would have liked to have gotten deeper in the game and saved our bullpen a little bit but that just wasnt the case." St. Louuis got to Tim Hudson (14-10) for five runs in the third, taking advantage of a lapse in control by the right-hander. cheap jerseys. Hudson plunked Daniel Descalso leading off the inning, and hit Jon Jay with another pitch with two down, leaving runners on the corners. Pujols hit an RBI single before Hudson issued consecutive walks to Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, forcing home a run. Molina then cleared the bases with a double to right, making it 5-0. Hudson was charged with six runs and eight hits in six innings. "I made my bed," Hudson said. "I set them up for an inning and I just didnt make good pitches. They had good at-bats and made me pay for it." Jones did hit a solo drive in the eighth for his 17th homer of the season and No. 453 for his career, moving him ahead of Carl Yastrzemski and into 33rd place. Freddie Freeman singled in a run for Atlanta, and pinch-hitter Matt Diaz had a sacrifice fly. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said his team needs to regroup a bit after playing eight road games in seven days. "It feels like were close offensively," Gonzalez said. "Lets just go home, lick our wounds a little bit and go get them." NOTES: Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse (13-8) will oppose Brad Lincoln (1-2) on Monday in Pittsburgh. Brandon Beachy (7-2) will get the ball for the Braves on Monday in Atlanta. Chris Volstad (5-12) is scheduled to pitch for the Marlins. ... Freemans RBI was his 71st, tops among all rookies. ... Pujols went 13-for-36 on the Cardinals nine-game homestand to raise his average to .297. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '