Yankees’ Rivera Is Expected Back

New York Yankee closer Mariano Rivera, who returned to his native Panama on Sunday after two of his wife’s relatives, one of them a 14-year-old boy, were killed in an electrified swimming pool at Rivera’s mansion, is expected to return in time for Game 1 against the Boston Red Sox tonight.

But the Yankees stopped short of saying Rivera would definitely be available tonight and expressed some concern about how effective -- and how distracted -- the most dominant closer in playoff history might be when he does return.

“It’s going to be difficult,” said Mike Mussina, who will start against the Red Sox tonight. “I mean, your focus is not 100% here; it just can’t be. And can he go out there and perform at the level that we hope he can and that he expects? I don’t know. I don’t think any of us can really know. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

The funerals for Victor Avila, 35, and his son, Victor Dario Avila, the cousins of Rivera’s wife, Clara, are today in Panama. The Yankees have provided Rivera with a private jet for transport to New York after the service, but team officials did not say when the right-hander was expected back.

“You don’t want somebody to have a letdown if you say he’s going to be here [tonight] and he’s not here,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “I think if he’s here, he’ll say, ‘Give me the ball.’ I don’t think there’s any question. And whether it’s 100% or 50%, it’s still going to be pretty good.”

If Rivera, who has a 0.71 earned-run average in 65 career postseason appearances, is unavailable, set-up man Tom Gordon, who was 9-4 with a 2.21 ERA this season, would slide into the closer role.

The Yankees have confidence in Gordon, but Rivera’s absence would put a dent in the depth of an already thin bullpen, moving such middle relievers as Paul Quantrill and Tanyon Sturtze into more late-inning roles.

“I won’t put any extra pressure on myself -- I understand what I have to do,” Gordon said. “We have a great bullpen. Anyone in our clubhouse can do the job.”

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Mike Myers, Boston’s left-handed relief specialist, called Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman last winter looking for a job, but Stoneman had no interest, telling Myers he was confident the team’s right-handers in the bullpen could get left-handers out in tough situations.

So, Myers found it a little ironic Friday when, in Game 3 of the division series, Angel Manager Mike Scioscia summoned left-handed starter Jarrod Washburn in the 10th inning to face David Ortiz, who smacked Washburn’s first pitch over the left-field wall for a game-winning homer.

Myers showed the importance of having a good left-hander in the bullpen when he retired Angel cleanup batter Garret Anderson in the eighth inning of Game 2 and the seventh inning of Game 3.

“It’s something you definitely have to have, especially late in the season when you want to get a lefty out,” said Myers, a free agent again this winter. “I was surprised Anaheim didn’t get one, but they have their theory, and they’re sticking with it.”

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Ortiz hit .545 (six for 11) in the division series against the Angels, but the Yankees may have just the antidote for the sizzling Red Sox designated hitter. Mussina was 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA in his last five regular-season starts and has limited Ortiz to two hits in 29 career at-bats, an average of .069.

“Mussina has like 20 different pitches, and if you look for one and miss it, you have to deal with the other 19,” Ortiz said. “I’ve seen [catcher Jorge] Posada take his glove off sometimes. He doesn’t have enough fingers on one hand to call all those pitches.”

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The Red Sox pounded Angel starting pitchers for 15 runs in 12 2/3 innings, using their patient approach to jack up the pitch counts of Washburn, Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar in the early innings, and they’ll try to take a similar tack against the Yankees.

“We have to score off their starting pitchers to win this series,” Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar said. “We don’t want to put it into the hands of Gordon and Rivera. We have to give our guys a lead and let them run with it.”

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While warmed by the civility of the postgame greetings between the Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals after Sunday night’s game, Millar has no intention of getting snuggly with the Yankees.

“No,” he said, “we won’t shake hands. That’s not what this is all about.”

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Times staff writer Tim Brown contributed to this report.