CC Sabathia Acts Like Ace At Perfect Time For New York Yankees

It hasn’t been since 2012 that CC Sabathia was considered an ace for the New York Yankees. He probably never will be again, but he is certainly capable of delivering big performances when the Yankees need him most and last night’s win over the Baltimore Orioles was proof.

The Yankees entered play riding a six-game losing streak, and things were looking so bad that GM Brian Cashman was openly talking of making changes to the roster he put together. The losing was eating away at the team and their confidence. Last night seemed to be more of the same, but Sabathia changed all of that.

Sabathia knuckled down and shut any door he left ajar for the Orioles. He was an ace last night at the perfect time. He might have had only one 1-2-3 inning, but Sabathia was using his fastball and changeup to keep hitters off balance and his changeup was working perfectly, coming in against right-handed hitters. He also used his slider to perfect effect, getting hitters reaching. The box score will show he struck out six, allowed six hits and two walks, but it was a grittier performance than that indicates. This was Sabathia reaching into the past at the right moments and getting the job done.

The Yankees might not have exorcised all of their demons last night, but it was a step in the right direction. The Yankees needed Sabathia and he delivered. The gorilla on their backs got a little smaller. It is still there, and might be all season, but for one night the Yankees played baseball like they are capable of doing and that is a step in the right direction. Right now, even a small step is a step this team needed to take, and they were able to do that thanks to Sabathia.

Share On FacebookShare StumbleUpon