The Yankees celebrated Mariano Rivera's Hall of Fame induction at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. The man of the hour said he believes the team should be having a championship celebration of their own very soon.
While discussing his recent unanimous Hall of Fame bid, the first of its kind, Rivera gave his opinion on the current state of the Yankees.
There's no reason a World Series title shouldn't be on the horizon, says Rivera.
"The only one that can stop them, is themselves. God, obviously, and themself," he said. " They have everything to do it and I don't see why not. It's time for a championship to go back to New York."
The Yankees continued to push in the right direction towards a title on the afternoon the club celebrated their former closer, defeating the Cleveland Indians, 6-5. That pushed New York to 83-42 overall on the year, the best record in the majors. Although, the Los Angeles Dodgers can come back into a tie with the Yanks for the league lead with a Saturday evening win over the Atlanta Braves.
One thing the Dodgers won't change though is the Yankees' cozy sitting in the AL East, 11 games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays (71-52).
Like many, Rivera is in particular impressed with the younger players on the Yankees who've stepped up during the team's string of injuries this season and put the team in the position they're currently in.
"The way you see the youngsters come up and play the game, with such a joy and passion, and taking it to the next level," Rivera said. "These youngsters come up and have done a tremendous job. Again, the only thing that will stop them will be God and their self."