Sabathia cruises in return
CC Sabathia performed a big-league first Saturday: consecutive regular season starts of at least five innings, no walks and no more than one hit.
Among Sabathia’s more remarkable feats, considering what came between. “That is classic CC right there,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
Sabathia began his 19th and final big league season with five stellar innings, pinch-hitter Luke Voit came through with a broken-bat RBI single in the seventh and New York one-hit the Chicago White Sox 4-0 Saturday to end a fourgame slide.
Sabathia allowed a hit and no other baserunners in his first start since having a stent inserted after blockage was found in an artery from his heart in December. He’s the first pitcher ever with five innings, one hit and no walks over back-toback starts, per the Elias Sports Bureau, although it didn’t feel quite as smooth as it looked.
“I was out there the first inning, I was like, shaking,” said Sabathia, who plans to retire after the season. “Thinking from where I came from in December and actually being back on the mound, it’s cool. I was able to kind of harness those nerves.”
Johnny Vander Meer pitched back-to-back nohitters for Cincinnati in 1938, walking a total of 11 in those two games.
Jose Rondon had Chicago’s only hit, a clean single in the third inning, but the second baseman also booted a likely double play grounder to set up Voit’s RBI. With the bases loaded, New York’s beefy, breakout slugger split his bat near the handle but still muscled a single to center against Ryan Burr for a 1-0 lead. Kyle Higashioka followed with a sacrifice fly to the warning track in right, and Tyler Wade brought in another run with a safety squeeze.
Aaron Judge narrowly homered into the short right field porch in the eighth, his fourth of the season.
White Sox starter Ivan Nova (0-2) dueled with Sabathia, pitching four-hit ball into the seventh. He was pulled after allowing Gleyber Torres’ leadoff single, and the former Yankee right-hander was cheered by some Bronx fans as he walked off.
“I was blacked out,” Nova said of the reaction. “It was pretty cool.”
Domingo German (3-0) followed Sabathia by striking out four in two overpowering innings. Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman closed things out with a perfect inning each for New York, a refreshingly clean showing for a struggling, short-handed bullpen. The Yankees have led in 13 of 14 games this season yet are just 6-8.
Chicago has lost six of seven and dropped to 4-9.
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RHP Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 1.47) has been the only Yankees starter to reliably work late into games. He’ll get the ball in the series finale against White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon.