Empire Writes Back
Fansided

New York Yankees: Problems with the Starting Rotation

By Christian Kouroupakis

Oct 6, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) reacts after the second inning against the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 6, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) reacts after the second inning against the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 7
Next
New York Yankees
Sep 14, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (52) on the mound during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

According to CC Sabathia himself, he feels much better after the month long alcohol rehabilitation stint that forced him off the playoff roster. Sabathia had the worst overall season of his career going 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA, but was 2-1 with a 2.17 ERA in five September starts.

The question here is whether or not that late season performance was a fluke, or the real thing. He credits his September success to a knee brace that helped him push off his back knee a little bit better, but what to expect from this season? Heck, I don’t know.

But for the arguable heart and soul of the 2009 World Championship Yankees, this season is more than baseball for Sabathia. It isn’t about a return to the dominant CC of years past, it isn’t about being the heart of the team, and it isn’t even about performing well, at all. This is about a man taking control of his life, turning it around, and showing people, particularly those that have problems with alcohol, that there is hope.

Maybe CC can carry over his September performance into 2016 and help the Yankees win, in fact with the help of that knee brace and his new workout regimen, he very well may do that.

Sabathia is now primed for the biggest comeback he’ll probably ever make. He isn’t coming back from an injury, and while he had a down year, he isn’t coming back from that.

He’s coming back from a disease that has conquered countless individuals. A disease that he had a courage to fix at a time his team needed him the most. He is coming back from a disease so debilitating, it has taken lives all over the world. He is coming back from his fight with alcohol abuse.

I’m looking forward to seeing what CC Sabathia can be, now that his mind is at peace.

Next: Ivan Nova

Home/New York Yankees