CC Sabathia picked a good night to flash his old brilliance.
In the middle of a playoff race, the big lefty flummoxed the Dodgers with precision-guided fastballs and devastating changeups in the Yankees’ 3-0 victory Tuesday night at the Stadium.
“He did a tremendous job,” manager Joe Girardi said. “To give us 6 ¹/₃ great innings is a great job. He kept them in check for the most part. He had a couple of moments where he has to make big pitches and he made them.”
And he started making them in the first inning.
With Howie Kendrick on third base and two outs, the dangerous Yasiel Puig was at the plate. Sabathia uncorked a changeup that danced down and away from the strike zone to punch out Puig and end the threat.
“In his career, the first inning has always been the toughest,” Girardi said. “I thought that was big for him to get out of there without giving up a run.”
Sabathia allowed just one runner to get past second base the rest of the night.
His dominance was a turn-back-the-clock effort, reminiscent of the Sabathia teams would lean on to halt a losing streak and lead them into the playoffs as he did with the Brewers in 2008 and in earning a World Series ring with the Yankees one year later.
With the Yankees riding a two-game losing streak and every game becoming more vital to their playoff chances, Sabathia held the Dodgers at bay, striking out seven and allowing just four base runners.
“I don’t think it was any extra pressure,” Sabathia said. “Now is just the time we need to go out there and win every game. That just comes with the territory of being in the playoff race. I just went out there to do my job and the guys pulled through.”
But none more than Sabathia, who looks primed for a playoff push one year after finishing with a 4.73 ERA and entering alcohol rehab before the season came to a close.
The Yankees’ former ace has allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his past eight starts while recording quality starts in four of his past five. Sabathia’s scoreless pitching line was his first since a start against Detroit on June 10.
“He was locating them in off the plate, sinking it away and cutting it in on the hands. He had everything going,” Brian McCann said. “He did whatever he wanted tonight.”
And what Sabathia wants is a playoff berth.