KNOCKOUT PINCH
Hafner steps in to save Yanks with homer in eighth
Pinch-hitter Travis Hafner connects for solo home run to complete comeback from three-run deficit in Yanks’ 4-3 victory over Diamondbacks.
WELCOME to the next chapter of CC Sabathia’s career. For the past dozen years, the big lefthander has been one of the most dominant pitchers of his generation, using a fastball that averaged 92-94 mph that he would hump up to 96 or 97 when he needed a big out.
That pitcher might no longer be with us.
Despite saying he felt like “didn’t have anything” when he took the mound Wednesday night, Sabathia grinded out the type of outing the Yankees have grown accustomed to during his four-plus years in pinstripes: eight innings, three runs, another win.
“Smoke and mirrors,” he said with a laugh.
But was it a joke with a trace of truth? Sabathia’s fastball never topped 90 mph, a trend that has now lasted four starts into his age-32 season.
“I’m hoping some more velocity comes back,” Sabathia said. “If not, we’ll work with this.”
Should the Yankees be concerned? Not if he keeps pitching the way he has in his past three outings.
Sabathia took a matter-of-fact approach with his comments as he fielded one question after another about his lack of velocity. Where most power pitchers would shy away from the inevitable loss of a few ticks on their fastball, Sabathia was practically embracing it. There was no talk about it being early in the season, a common refrain heard in most of these cases.
Instead, Sabathia spoke like a man who has been waiting for Father Time to catch up to him. More than 2,500 innings will do that, I suppose.
“It’s reality,” Sabathia said. “I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I’ve been pitching for a long time. Eventually, it was gong to happen.”
Only Mark Buehrle has thrown more innings since 2001 than Sabathia, although Sabathia’s 40,508 pitches since his debut are the most for any pitcher in the game. If all that work is finally catching up with Sabathia, is he due for a drop-off that will make the Yankees regret adding another year plus a vesting option to his $161 million contract two years ago?
Based on the early results, it doesn’t look like it.
Sabathia was admittedly terri- ble in the first inning Wednesday, needing 31 pitches to record the first three outs against Arizona. Paul Goldschmidt belted a tworun homer on a dreadful changeup to give the Diamondbacks a quick lead, making Sabathia consider abandoning the pitch for the rest of the night.
But Francisco Cervelli kept calling the pitch, so Sabathia kept throwing it. Seven innings and 77 pitches later, Sabathia was in the dugout watching Travis Hafner hit a pinch-homer, handing the southpaw his third straight victory.
“You have to give him a lot of credit for sticking with it,” Sa- bathia said. “That was part of the game plan and we ended up getting some outs with it later in the game. It got better because I kept throwing it. I would have just left it alone.”
Incredibly, Sabathia didn’t throw a single pitch harder than 89 mph after the fifth inning, yet he sat down nine of the 10 batters he faced over that span, throwing only 26 pitches to get through his final three frames.
“It’s all about command,” he said. “One hundred percent.”
Two weeks ago in Detroit, Torii Hunter said Sabathia was no longer the thrower he was in Cleveland, but rather a guy who has learned how to pitch with the best of them. If he’s going to throw like Greg Maddux or Mike Mussina, that better be the case.
“I can pitch at this,” Sabathia said.
Joe Girardi insists Sabathia’s velocity will continue to creep up, but on a night when his fastball never cracked 91, this may simply have been the new reality for the man who has won more games than anybody else since he broke into the league 12 years and 10 days ago.
“It’s something everybody is going to go through,” Sabathia said. “We’ll see if this is my time.”