Sabathia out of playoffs for rehab
Yankees left-hander admits he needs help for alcohol use.
CC Sabathia said Monday he is checking into an alcohol rehab center and will miss the postseason, a setback to the Yankees’ pitching staff the day before tonight’s AL wild-card game against the Astros at Yankee Stadium.
Sabathia, the 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, said he took the step to receive the care he needs and become the kind of person “I can be proud of.”
“I love baseball and I love my teammates like brothers, and I am also fully aware that I am leaving at a time when we should all be coming together for one last push toward the World Series,” the 35-year-old left-hander said. “It hurts me deeply to do this now, but I owe it to myself and to my family to get myself right. I want to take control of my disease, and I want to be a better man, father and player.”
Sabathia informed manager Joe Girardi on Sunday in Baltimore, where the Yankees finished the regular season.
“The first thing he said is, ‘I need help,’ ” Girardi said. “I was shocked.”
Sabathia is 214-129 in 15 major league seasons and was 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA this year.
Sabathia signed a $161 million, seven-year contract with the Yankees before the 2009 season and helped New York win the World Series during his first season in the Bronx.
Rather than exercise his right to terminate the contract after the 2011 season, he agreed to a new deal — a $25 million guaranteed salary for 2016 and a $25 million team option for 2017 with a $5 million buyout.
Cardinals: All-Star catcher Yadier Molina will try to play in the NLDS while wearing a splint to protect his injured left thumb. Molina partially tore ligament on Sept. 20 making a tag at the plate and hasn’t played since. General manager John Mozeliak said he was “still optimistic” the 33-yearold would be on the post- season roster.
Brewers: Pitching coach Rick Kranitz; first base coach Mike Guerrero; bench coach Jerry Narron; bullpen coach Lee Tunnell; and coach John Shelby will not have their contracts renewed. Only hitting coach Darnell Coles and third base coach Ed Sedar will return in 2016 under manager Craig Counsell.
Athletics: Assistant GM David Forst was promoted to general manager and Billy Beane was named executive vice president of baseball operations.
Padres: Admitting his team “didn’t have the right formula” this season, general manager A.J. Preller says he’s looking for a manager who can get the underachieving team to play at a high level. Preller fired interim manager Pat Murphy on Sunday after the Padres finished 74-88. Despite the addition of several stars and a bump in payroll past the $100 million mark for the first time, the Padres had their worst finish in four years.
Cubs: MLB said more Majestic jerseys bearing Kris Bryant’s name have been sold from the league’s online shop than those of any other player. Bryant, 23, is the youngest player and the first rookie to top the list in the five years the rankings have been released.
Noteworthy: MLB averaged 30,517 fans at games this season, up slightly from the previous two years and the sport’s seventh-highest mark. ... MLB managed to cut six minutes from the average time of a nine-inning game this season, when it adopted speedup rules.