In a rotation where there rarely is a clear cut ace, having a guy who can be consistent is a huge asset. New York Yankees veteran pitcher CC Sabathia has filled that role since joining the squad in 2009. Sabathia has seldom been the guy with stuff to blow you away, but he has always been reliable and consistent. As he nears a HUGE milestone in his career, it’s a fitting tribute to look back on his Yankee career on the field and his phenomenal debut this past weekend.
Sabathia debuted with the Bombers in 2009. He started off his career being a key factor in the Yankees success. He had a 3.37 ERA to go along with a 19-8 record. Sabathia followed that up with three straight years of sub 3.50 ERAs and a record of 55-21 from 2010-2012. As times began to change and CC dealt with injuries, things went downhill.
In what could be labeled a period of retooling from 2013-2015 Sabathia compiled an ERA of over 4.70 in the three year span. This included battling injuries and poor performances from the rest of the team. In 2016 things began to improve. Sabathia seemed a little healthier and had a 3.91 ERA. It seemed as if something changed that following offseason.
Something clicked for CC and he began to age like a fine wine. CC adapted his game to the changing times and to all the adversity he had to overcome. This included a 3.69 ERA in 2017 with a record of 14-5. Then this past season, he had one of his best years in recent memory.
Sabathia had a 3.65 ERA with a 9-7 record, but CC was consistent whenever called upon. That was also evident in the Yankees spectacular postseason run in 2017, in which the veteran became one of the most reliable and clutch players on the team.
Now at the age of 38, CC is beginning his 19th and final season in the majors and continues to demonstrate his skills to adapt. He started off his 2019 campaign with a phenomenal outing on Saturday. Going 5.0 innings and pitching a one hitter with 3ks. CC looked impressive and continued to succeed in getting batters out. Now, he has a huge milestone coming up.
CC is 11 strikeouts away from a record that is one of the hardest things to do in all of sports, 3,000 strikeouts. For a guy who has always been a picture of consistency, getting 3,000 strikeouts is like the icing on the cake of a great career. However the cherry on top of it all would be giving him one more World Series ring.