CC Sabathia has been one of the great starters to take the hill for the New York Yankees over the past few decades.
Sabathia joined the Yankees in 2009 on a seven-year, $161 million contract after spending the second half of the 2008 season with the Milwaukee Brewers after being dealt there at the trade deadline. Since taking up residence in New York, Sabathia has put together a 134-88 record to go along with a 3.80 ERA and 1,694 strikeouts.
On Wednesday, Sabathia will take the mound against the Los Angeles Angels in what could be his final start with the Yankees. Sabathia is set to retire at the conclusion of the 2019 season and it's possible that the Yankees don't elect to start Sabathia during their upcoming postseason run.
"I want to win a World Series more than anybody here, I think. If that means I'm off the [postseason] roster, I don't mind that at all — at all," Sabathia told Yahoo Sports. "I don't think it's about really me. This team has the chance to do something special. We've been doing special things all year. I've been a part of that. I don't think me being on or off the playoff roster will change what I've been or done or meant around here. I'll be just as excited, especially if we win."
There's quite a bit on the line in Wednesday's game as the Yankees can clinch the AL East for the first time since 2012 with a win or a Tampa Bay Rays loss.
With this potentially being his final start, and it coming with a chance to win the division, let's take a look at some of the biggest moments of Sabathia's Yankees career.
Dominant in 2009 ALCS
Sabathia has certainly had a track record of being a big-game pitcher throughout his career. One of the more special performances of his career came in the 2009 American League Championship Series against his former team in the Cleveland Indians. In two games in the ALCS, Sabathia shut down the Indians as he surrendered just two runs in 16.0 innings of work. Sabathia was victorious in Games 1 and 4 and tossed eight innings of one-run ball in the series opener. For his efforts, he was named the ALCS MVP.
2012 ALDS Game 5
When a series was on the line, Sabathia always seemed to be up to the challenge. That was the case in Game 5 of the 2012 American League Division Series against the Baltimore Orioles when Sabathia put the Yankees on his back yet again. Sabathia tossed a complete game in which he gave up just one run on four hits in a 3-1 New York victory. The veteran starter also nearly tossed a complete game in Game 1 of the series as he pitched 8 2/3 innings of two-run ball in a 7-2 Yankees win.
Sabathia flirts with no-hitter
This may not have been on a big stage, but Sabathia was extremely impressive in this 2010 outing against the Tampa Bay Rays. On April 10, 2010, Sabathia was dazzling as he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Sabathia threw 7 2/3 innings before he surrendered a hit and manager Joe Girardi took Sabathia out of the game. He also struck out five batters during his sensational performance. This was the closest that Sabathia got to throwing a no-hitter in his MLB career and he did it in a 10-0 Yankees win.
Clutch performance in Game 5 of 2017 ALDS
While it may not have been the Sabathia of old, the veteran left-hander's performance in the 2017 ALDS against the Cleveland Indians was still impressive. Sabathia ended up surrendering a pair of runs and striking out nine over 4 1/3 innings in a winner-take-all Game 5. When Sabathia left the contest, the Yankees held a 3-2 lead thanks to a two-run home run from Didi Gregorius in the third inning. New York was able to come away with a 5-2 win to advance to the ALCS.
3,000th career strikeout
Sabathia has achieved quite a few milestones throughout his 19-year career in the big leagues. On May, 1, 2019, Sabathia recorded his 3,000th career strikeout when he struck out Arizona Diamondbacks catcher John Ryan Murphy on five pitches. In doing so, the 2007 American League Cy Young winner became the 17th player in MLB history to reach that milestone while also joining Steve Carlton and Randy Johnson as just the third left-hander to reach 3,000 strikeouts. Sabathia certainly has lost some zip on his pitches and only has 101 punch-outs on the season entering Wednesday, however, joining an elite group like this is definitely one of his most spectacular achievements.
Missing out on $500K bonus in 2018
This one emphasizes one of the unwritten rules in the game of baseball: standing up for your teammates. On September 27, 2018, Tampa Bay Rays reliever Andrew Kittredge threw behind Yankees catcher Austin Romine in the sixth inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Sabathia returned the favor as he beaned Jesus Sucre in the leg in retaliation for Kittredge throwing at Romine. Sabathia was ejected from the game and fell two innings short of qualifying for a $500,000 bonus just to stick up for one of his teammates. He also get very heated and was seen yelling at the Rays dugout even following his ejection. Now Sabathia did receive the bonus from the Yankees front office following the season, but this show of respect certainly endeared him to Yankees fans.