BOSTON — CC Sabathia came up big in many ways for the Yankees yesterday. He took care of business: he just didn’t have anything to show for it.
Sabathia hit Dustin Pedroia in the backside in the third inning of yesterday’s version of the Yankees daily rout of the Red Sox, 14-3, at rainy Fenway Park.
That hit by pitch was retaliation for an out of control Josh Beckett plunking two Yankees on Friday night, something that manager Joe Girardi admitted yesterday, “irritated” him.
The Yankees had a right to be irritated and payback is gained in different ways. The Yankees have won 13 of the last 15 against the Red Sox, and they were stealing bases up by five runs in the eighth.
Sabathia said the pitch got away from him but it didn’t, we all know that. He did the right baseball thing, made his point, didn’t hurt Pedroia and moved on, the complete professional.
“It was just a fastball that got away,” Sabathia said. “I was trying to get in.”
He got in all right. Though Victor Martinez followed with a home run to put the Red Sox ahead temporarily, Sabathia did what he had to do. That’s leadership.
Then with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and the Yankees leading 6-3, Sabathia did not get the victory. That’s because with a 2-2 count on Martinez, the rains came and crew chief Tim McClelland immediately halted play as Sabathia (4-1) stood on the mound, wanting to throw one more pitch, which could have gotten him one more win.
It never happened. McClelland made the call. It was the right call.
“They said the rain was going to come and come hard,” the umpire said. “I didn’t want to lose the field. [Sabathia’s possible win] wasn’t in my thinking. When I called it and was walking off the field, I did realize it, but I had to do what I did.”
If Sabathia winds up with 19 victories this year or maybe 299 over his career, so be it. He didn’t have a problem and said he should have hurried a bit more with the rain on its way.
“I probably should have rushed a little more,” Sabathia said. “It is what it is. We got a win and that’s the biggest thing. It’s all about the team winning. We got the win today and we got the series.”
The rain delay lasted one hour and 14 minutes, ending Sabathia’s day. Because the left-hander did not go five innings, he could not get the win. Alfredo Aceves, who pitched one inning and left with a back injury, got the “W.”
The Yankees are winning the pitching battle against the Red Sox and that’s the difference between the teams. The Yankees are fifth overall with a 3.42 ERA and second in the American League, behind only the Rays. The Red Sox are 25th with a 5.11 ERA and 12th in the AL.
Before the game, Girardi made it clear he was not happy with Friday’s antics, when a wild Beckett nailed Robinson Cano (knee) and Derek Jeter (back).
“You get irritated. There’s no doubt about it that I get irritated about it,” Girardi said. “I know it’s part of the game, I’ve been hit. You look at situations and you usually have a pretty good idea if a ball just gets away and that was my feeling [Friday] night. He just lost command of his fastball but it doesn’t make it any easier seeing your guys get hit, you get irritated about it because you know how important they are to your team.”
“This is a group of guys that have been together and it’s like your little brother or your big brother and you are going to protect them,” Girardi said. “Whether you think there is an injustice or not you are still going to stand up for your guy, that’s the bottom line. That’s what family members do.”
Big brother CC protected his family.