This season will be CC Sabathia’s last. The New York Yankees’ lefty hurler will announce his plan to retire following the 2019 season.
It’s no secret that CC Sabathia is in the final stage of his career. There was speculation that 2019 would be the final season for the gritty veteran. On Wednesday, that speculation was confirmed.
Source confirms CC Sabathia will hold a press conference Saturday at Steinbrenner Field to officially announce that he will retire at the end of the 2019 season. @martinonyc mentioned the presser first.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 13, 2019
Sabathia’s long and storied career with the New York Yankees has included the highest of highs with the lowest of lows. Sabathia won the World Series in his first year with the Yankees and his dominant postseason performance was a catalyst for the Yankees’ success.
But later on in his career, Sabathia struggled with some personal demons. He was forced to miss the team’s AL Wild Card Game in 2015 while he sought treatment for an alcohol problem.
But Sabathia bounced back and has been nothing short of remarkable for the Yankees over the past two seasons. He doesn’t have the same velocity or stamina that he used to have. But he has learned how to mix and match his pitches to gut out performances when he’s needed most.
His recent resurgence has given new life to his career. Although he’s going to be calling it a career after this season, expect Sabathia to be on top of his game. Manager Aaron Boone will need to keep a close watch on Sabathia to preserve him for the long haul. But Sabathia is a pitcher’s pitcher now.
The 38-year-old relies heavily on his cutter, slider, and sinker that rarely touch 90 m.p.h. This is a far cry from the 2009 version of Sabathia that gave hitters a steady diet of 95 m.p.h. four-seam fastballs. That being said, he is still an effective back-of-the-rotation starter.
Yankees fans would love to see Sabathia go out on top as a World Series champion. It would be a fitting way to bookend his Yankees career with two rings.
