EWB Best Season: (15) 2011 C.C. Sabathia vs (18) 2014-15 Rick Nash

Our next matchup of the Empire Writes Back Best Seasons of the 2010’s tournament features the 15th seeded 2011 season from C.C. Sabathia vs. the 2014-15 campaign of Rick Nash.

Welcome back to the Empire Writes Back best seasons of the 2010’s tournament, as the next matchup kicks off with (15) 2011 C.C. Sabathia going up against (18) 2014-15 Rick Nash. This should be an exciting matchup between two of the more underrated seasons in recent New York Sports memory.

We’ll begin with looking at the season Rick Nash had for the New York Rangers in the 2014-15 season.

Nash was always known as a terrific goal scorer, and he proved that during this spectacular season.

He scored 42 goals for the Rangers in 79 games, finishing third in the entire NHL behind Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos. He did lead the league with 32 even strength goals, however. He added in 27 assists to finish with 69 points on the year, while also adding a +/- of 29.Nash was also named an all-star that year, which would be his 7th and final time making the team.

Nash’s contributions helped the Rangers to a President’s Trophy for having the best record in the league, but the Rangers ultimately fell one game short of back-to-back Stanley Cup births when they lost Game 7 at home to the Tampa Bay Lighting in the Eastern Conference Finals. Nash was downright dominant during the 2014-15 season, and his numbers proved as much.

Now it’s time to dive into the enigma that is C.C. Sabathia and the performance he put up during the 2011 season for the New York Yankees.

Sabathia recorded a 19-8 record with a 3.00 ERA, 230 strikeouts and a 1.22 WHIP in 33 starts and 237.1 innings pitched. All of this led to a 6.4 WAR for the left-hander that year. He ended up earning an all-star appearance while finishing 4th in the American League Cy Young award race and 14th in the AL MVP race.

Sabathia helped lead the Yankees to a 97-65 finish in 2011, good for first in the AL East. However, the team would go on to lose to the Tigers in the ALDS that postseason. Sabathia was the ace of that staff, and it’s clear to see why. His numbers that season were among the best of his career, and he was a big reason as to why the Yankees saw as much success as they did that year.

While Nash’s prolific scoring was also among the best in his career, as well as in the NHL during the 2014-15 season, I have to give Sabathia the nod in this matchup.

While scoring in the NHL is very hard to do, pitching in the American League is also just as hard, if not more so. With Sabathia having as much success as he did against the league where you have to face 9 real batters in a lineup, that’s why he wins this for me.

What do you think? Do you agree with what I said, or do you think Nash should be the winner? Either way, make sure you go vote on our Twitter page, @empirewritesbck, to help decide who should emerge victorious.

You can also drop a comment on our Twitter or on the comment section of this post if you have an opinion about this matchup you would like to express.

Also, be on the lookout for future matchups, which release every morning until the tournament has concluded.

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