Sabathia: Rehab couldn’t wait until after postseason

While fans were wondering why CC Sabathia chose the week of the AL wild-card game to enter rehab for alcohol addiction, he and his wife, Amber, were firm in their decision. He needed the help and he needed it now.

“I think everybody else was trying to figure out the timing, but I wasn’t really interested in that,” said Sabathia, who seemed relaxed, healthy and happy Thursday night before watching his children walk in the Kids Rock! fashion show, whose proceeds will go to his charitable foundation, PitCCh In. “I wasn’t really interested in that. I just wanted to get some help and do what was right for me and my family.”

Sabathia, who had said previously that he threw a football in rehab to keep him loose, said he has been throwing baseballs since November. He usually throws year-round but took a month off to aid in his recovery.

“I have good people around me and I can understand that if I have those urges, I can beat them even before they come,” he said, adding this is the healthiest he’s felt in three years. “I’ve learned a lot of tools.”

Sabathia said he’s been able to work out how he wants to, and he’s excited to go to work in a week, when Yankees pitchers and catchers report to spring training. He’s been able to train on his surgically repaired right knee and was otherwise candid about his recent struggles.

Amber Sabathia was certainly a fan of the strides he’s made.

“Absolutely,” she sees a difference in him, she said. “Day to day, he’s just in a better mood, more dedicated to baseball and more zoned in to get the season started.”

She added: “I’m very excited for this season to come so he can prove to everyone that he’s healthy.”