Summer of Mariano Rivera could start with familiar Yankees dominance

Mariano Rivera is set to make his first appearance in The Bronx at Old-Timers’ Day on Sunday, and Brett Gardner made a fairly obvious prediction about the Hall-of-Famer’s debut: “I don’t think anyone will get a hit off of him.’’

It’s just part of Rivera’s Summer Tour, which will bring him to Yankee Stadium on Sunday and Cooperstown next month — when he’ll be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the first player to be voted in unanimously.

“I just talked to him this week, and he’s excited about coming here and then going to the Hall of Fame,’’ CC Sabathia said before the Yankees faced the Astros on Saturday. “He was talking about writing his speech. But as cool as it will be for him to get in up there, it’s something else to him on the field again. That will be awesome.”

Rivera finished with an all-time record of 652 career saves and made 13 All-Star teams. Of more importance to the Yankees, though, is that he was part of five World Series-winning teams. Two of those championship-winning teams, 1999 and 2009, are celebrating anniversaries this year.

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He also went 8-1 with a 0.70 ERA with 42 saves in 96 postseason appearances during his 19-year career.

“I still kind of think of him as a teammate,’’ Gardner said of Rivera, who will turn 50 in November. “But this is another example that this game doesn’t stop or slow down for anybody, even though it kind of seemed to for him there for a while.’’

Like Gardner and Sabathia, Austin Romine also remains from the Rivera era and had a unique perspective as a young catcher behind the plate with Rivera on the mound.

“To be a rookie catching the best closer ever, it was amazing,’’ Romine said. “I grew up watching him. I’d look out and [Derek] Jeter would be at short, Alex [Rodriguez] at third, [Robinson Cano] at second and [Mark Teixeira] at first, it was incredible.”

And for a backstop trying to find his way in the majors, having Rivera around was invaluable.

“It was the calmest backstop ever,’’ Romine said. “It was ‘game over.’ I’d set up my glove and he’d hit it every time. I haven’t seen anything else like it.’’

He’s unlikely to see it again, which is OK with Romine.

“To have a chance to catch a Hall-of-Famer, not too many guys can say that,’’ Romine said. “I know not a ton of guys caught Rivera and to be on that list is something that’s very important to me.’’

And it helped shape Romine as a player.

“He was always good to young players,’’ Romine said. “I threw a ball away against Boston and we wound up blowing the game. I was getting killed after the game, and he came up to me and told me to forget it. That meant a lot to me at the time, and it still does.”

His former teammates were looking forward to seeing Rivera again, just in a different capacity than they’re used to.

“Any time guys from the Core Four come back, you see how much they mean to everyone,’’ Sabathia said. “It’s impressive how it’s stood the test of time.’’

For Gardner, Rivera’s appearance on Sunday means something else, as well: “It tells me I’m getting old, too, since not too many other people around here can say they played with him.”

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And like Gardner, Romine is confident Rivera still can pull out his cutter.

“I’m pretty sure he could still get people out,’’ Romine said. “I don’t care how long it’s been.’’