
New York Yankees veteran lefty CC Sabathia came out of the bullpen for the first time in his career, and it was successful. He has had one relief appearance in the playoffs back in 2011, but it was his first career regular season relief appearance.
Sabathia retired the side on 13 pitches, striking out two. He also got a ground ball out, what he does best.
CC’s Postseason Role
CC Sabathia will likely be used as a regular bullpen pitcher in the postseason. He could obviously do long relief if needed, but it would be preferred if he didn’t. He doesn’t do well multiple times through an order.
Doing this gives him more of a chance to be successful in his final days as a major leaguer, while still helping the team. It helps a lot having an extra lefty in the bullpen.
Him, Aroldis Chapman, Zach Britton, and Stephen Tarpley makes four solid lefty relievers, and in the postseason it is more important to have a balance of lefties and righties.
It sounds like CC will have one more regular season relief appearance, and possibly two dependent on his results and how games go.
He will still obviously be used as a mentor in the clubhouse. With so many young pitchers, many guys are inexperienced in postseason roles and CC can teach those guys a lot.
CC Sabathia will have an important role for the Yankees in the postseason. In addition to mentoring young players, he will be a big lefty option in relief to face a few batters each outing. I hope that CC can have success in the bullpen and finish his career strong.