DETROIT — Ninety-five wins, an AL East title and an ALDS victory never looked this empty.
Not when all of that is followed by getting swept by the Tigers in four games of the ALCS.
Despite talk of how they would bravely fight their way out of a very deep ditch Thursday, the Yankees went quietly into the off-season with an 8-1 beating that was witnessed by a sold-out Comerica Park crowd of 42,477.
The Tigers will face the winner of the NLCS between the Cardinals and Giants.
The last time the Yankees were swept in a four-game series was by the Reds in the 1976 World Series.
PHOTOS: YANKEES’ DEJECTION AFTER ALCS SWEEP
CC Sabathia’s slow walk from the mound to dugout were the Yankees’ first steps into a winter that will be focused on Alex Rodriguez’ Yankees future. After being benched for three games and hit for in three others, questions if Rodriguez’ time in pinstripes being over are legitimate.
Shelled by the Tigers, Sabathia was removed by Joe Girardi in the fourth inning and the Yankees were essentially done because the deficit was six runs but looked like 16.
How miserable was the day?
Sabathia, who the Yankees firmly believed would get them to a Game 5 today, gave up six runs (five earned) and 11 hits (two homers) in 3 2/3 innings.
Since he went nine innings in the Yankees’ Game 5 ALDS clincher against the Orioles and matched his season-high in pitches (121) last Friday, Sabathia may have been affected. The 3 2/3 innings were his shortest stint of the season.
After committing one error in the regular season, Mark Teixeira made his second of the post-season that led to an unearned run and should have been charged with a second.
Summoned as a pinch-hitter for DH Raul Ibanez in the sixth with two outs and two on, Rodriguez lofted a 1-2 pitch harmlessly to center for the final out. Rodriguez went 0-for-2 and finished the post-season 3-for-25 (.120).
Robinson Cano went 0-for-4 and ended on a dreadful 1-for-34 slide. For the postseason Cano batted a hard-to-believe .075 (3-for-40).
Eric Chavez, who replaced Rodriguez at third in the final two games, whiffed in two at-bats and finished the post-season hitless in 16 at-bats and struck out in half of them.
In what very likely was his final game as a Yankee, Nick Swisher went 1-for-4 and completed a fourth straight awful postseason hitting .167 (5-for-30).
And the Yankees scored six runs in four games.
Triple Crown winner and AL MVP favorite Miguel Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta hit two-run homers off Sabathia and Austin Jackson homered off Derek Lowe. Peralta added a second homer off David Robertson in the eighth.
The Tigers’ 16 hits set a club record for a post-season game and it was the third time they hit four homers in a post-season game. That ties a franchise record.