Dominican pitcher Rafael Soriano steps in and performs in Yankees closer role

Dominican pitcher Rafael Soriano has been an anomaly in his Major League Baseball career. He has been in the majors for parts of eleven seasons, but only full time for the last five. He has been dominate at times (45 out of 48 saves in 2010 with Tampa Bay), but at other times he has seemed average (his ERA dropped to 4.12 last season in a set-up role with the Yankees).

Soriano was expected to continue in his set-up role with the Yankees this season. He was in fact the team's third choice for the closer role. But after injuries to Dave Robertson and legendary closer Mariano Rivera, Soriano was next in line for the job.

Pretty good third option. The Dominican pitcher Soriano has flourished since being handed the closer role. He is 24 for 25 in save opportunities and has a 1.46 ERA. Some guys are just meant to be closers, and Soriano seems to come from that mold.

The Yankees are of course riding their bats in the hopes of bringing home another World Series, but Soriano is a welcome addition to the pitching staff, that should be able to close out games with regularity.

Dominican pitcher Rafael Soriano is from San Jose, Dominican Republic.

Dominican pitcher Rafael Soriano is the Yankees new closer, photo by Keith Allison on Flickr