All indications are the greatest closer in Major League Baseball history will retire after the 2013 season. There’s no questioning Mariano Rivera‘s place in Cooperstown five years from now.

Rivera will likely make it official tomorrow at a press conference from the New York Yankees spring training facility in Tampa.

Ken Singleton and Jack Curry will anchor the Yes Network’s special coverage starting at 10 a.m.

Rivera has the most saves in history, 608, and as staggering as that stat is, Mo, of course, “saved” the best for last.

His 42 post-season saves are another record, as is the unthinkable 0.70 earned run average in the playoffs and World Series. To put it another way, he has allowed just 11 runs in 141 post-season innings.

Rivera is in the pantheon of Yankee greats: Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, and DiMaggio; all except Ruth played their entire career in pinstripes.

Photo credit: dugoutreport.com

Moments after Raul Ibanez crushed his second home run of the night, YES Network was on the air with complete coverage of the dramatic ALCS win.

Michael Kay was in place at the Stadium with David Cone, while Bob Lorenz, John Flaherty, and Jack Curry supplemented from the studio.

As expected, fans couldn’t get enough Yankee talk, switching to YES Network following the playoff game on TBS. It became the highest-rated first-round post-game on the YES in eight years (October 9, 2004).

Last night’s wrap-up to the dramatic outcome averaged 128,000 households or a 1.73 HH rating. It peaked from 11:30 to 11:45 p.m. with a 2.47 household rating or an estimated 182,000 households.

The Yankees can advance to the ALCS with a victory tonight against Baltimore. Win or lose, the YES Network will have the special edition post-game show.

The YES Network is giving fans even more Yankees. With each episode of the new series Yankees Access, a different player will be spotlighted, bringing unprecedented access to the viewer.

The first program, tomorrow night at 8, features Curtis Granderson on his recent trip to Taiwan. YES reporter Jack Curry traveled with Granderson and the Major League Baseball team that included Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano.

Among the show highlights:

• During an on-field demonstration, Granderson shows Curry step-by-step how he and batting coach Kevin Long changed his hitting style.
• Visiting Snake Alley in Taipei, Granderson takes a shot of snake blood (The snake was killed in front of Granderson and the blood drained).
• Curry speaks to Granderson in the dugout immediately after a grand slam against the Taiwan All-Stars.
• Granderson discusses his role of baseball ambassador, and how he’s used baseball to visit foreign locales, including Africa, Europe, and New Zealand.