GREAT TO CC YA!
Sabathia returns to give Bombers a much-needed boost in win over White Sox
After gloomy start to season, the sun was shining in the Bronx on Saturday as CC Sabathia tosses five shutout innings in Yanks’ 4-0 victory.
After a night of rain and yet more bad injury news, and a week of doom and gloom, Saturday the sun finally shined on the Yankees. With CC Sabathia on the mound for the first time this season, and beginning his final major league campaign, it was the first really nice day for a game in the Bronx and it was perhaps the most complete game the Yankees have played this season.
Sabathia had a brilliant — if short — return after an extended spring training and set the tone for the Yankees’ 4-0 win over the White Sox at the Stadium.
The veteran delivered a message to his struggling team.
“This is the big leagues. You’re going to struggle,” Sabathia said. “You’ve got to
keep going out every day working hard and trying to right the ship.”
It was the first — and much needed — win for the Yankees (6-8) since Sunday in Baltimore, snapping a four-game losing streak. It prevented the White Sox (4-9) from winning two in a row for the first time this season.
Sabathi a, who said he had normal first start of the season nerves, pitched five scoreless innings, scattering one hit and striking out three. That brings him 11 strikeouts away from becoming the 17th pitcher in major league history, and the third lefty, to record 3,000 strikeouts.
Because of the Yankees bats being quieted by former Yankee right hander — and Sabathia protege Ivan Nova — he got no closer to becoming the 46th pitcher to record 250 wins.
His veteran presence seemed to bring relief to a struggling, young team.
“He’s the leader of this team. When you’re missing your leader like that for a while, it’s tough. Having him back in here, his presence, his laugh – everything about him. All around, he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, and he’s such a competitor when he’s on the mound,” said Judge, who hit an eighth-inning home run for his 200th career RBI. “Knowing every five days we’re going to have that guy go out there and compete his butt off for five, six, seven innings, no matter how long, it’s something to look forward to.”
After he announced his plans to retire after this season, Sabathia needed a heart procedure last December. The Yankees slow-played him this spring and after serving a fivegame suspension for a retaliatory pitch in September, he was one of the Yankees major league-leading 12 players on the injured list. He is the first and only one to come back so far.
“I knew that I would get back out there. I didn’t know how long it was going to take. Obviously this is a lot quicker than I think anybody anticipated,” Sabathia said. “So it just feels good to be back.”
It couldn’t come at a better time for the Yankees.
After Gary Sanchez was placed on the IL on Friday and while GM Brian Cashman was explaining how set-up man Dellin Betances would likely be out until June, a rain-delayed game was called officially a 9-6 loss to the White Sox. Their fourth straight sloppy loss that featured mistakes and bullpen issues.
Still, despite playing crisper defense behind Sabathia than they have all season, the Yankees could not get to Nova, who was lifted after a giving up a leadoff single to Gleyber Torres in the seventh.
Then things broke in their favor.
Jose Rondon bobbled Greg Bird’s double play ball, allowing him to reach and Torres to get into scoring position in the seventh. Luke Voit punched through the first run on a pinch-hit single with the bases loaded. Kyle Higashioka brought in another with a well-placed sacrifice fly to right and Tyler Wade dropped a push bunt to score Frazier on a safety squeeze.
“When you get a mistake happen on the other side, those are the times you gotta capitalize, especially at a time when it’s tough for us. We’re kind of grinding through this,”
Boone said.
Even the bullpen feel into line with some help from Domingo German, who was taken out of the rotation this turn to piggyback off Sabathia, earned his third win with two scoreless, striking out four. Zack Britton, who had allowed three runs to score in his last two outings, pitched a perfect eighth. And Aroldis Chapman, making his first appearance since Sunday, closed it out with a perfect ninth.
Judge said he wasn’t surprised that Sabathia helped stabilize this team after a rough start to the season.
“In 2017, CC led our team. He always got us a win after a couple of losses for some strange reason. We’d have one loss or two losses and he’d come on the mound, we’d get a win and get on a roll,” Judge said. “Having him back and getting this win, this might be the start of something right here.”