CC Sabathia refused to be outdone by his fellow OG Justin Verlander in these playoffs.
Houston’s veteran slinger Justin Verlander turned back the clock with his 124-pitch, complete-game victory that put the Astros up 2-0 over the Yankees in the ALCS.
Verlander hadnt been that great in some time, but on Saturday night he was dominant, as he left every ounce of greatness that remained in his fiber on the field with a vintage 13-strikeout, one run performance.
Sabathia, who pitched two solid games against Cleveland in the American League Division Series, was setting the stage for a Game 3 ALCS performance for the ages against Houston on Monday night.
Sabathia is the Yankees stopper and they needed a classic performance at home from the 37-year-old who has battled knee problems and conquered alcohol addiction in recent years. Sabathia, a Black Ace, has become not only an inspiration for Yankees fans, but for people around the world fighting similar demons to the ones he’s been able to overcome.
Reggie Roberts on Twitter
Steve Sarkisian says New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia inspired him to get treatment for alcoholism https://t.co/7t1nPz7iXu
Facing the possibility of going down 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, CC delivered as he has so many times during his illustrious Yankees career. The Black Ace pitched six scoreless innings as New York dominated on the mound and finally with the lumber to lay down an 8-1 victory over the Houston Astros and tighten the American League Championship series at 2-1.
When I refer to CC as a “Black Ace” it’s not a phrase I created to highlight his race. It’s about prolific, distinguished and rare performance.
The Black Aces are a group of black pitchers who have won at least 20 Major League Baseball games in a single season. The term comes from the title of a book written by former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Mudcat Grant, one of the members of the group.
FOX Sports: MLB on Twitter
CC Sabathia (and his family) talk with @Ken_Rosenthal after his big Game 3 start for the @Yankees. https://t.co/4JHDCcnSMR
CC, who won 21 games in 2010, mixed his pitches masterfully and stayed ahead of the potent Houston lineup, keeping them off balance and getting the tough out when necessary. Sabathias success on the mound seemed to help break Aaron Judge out of his slump. Both Judge and Todd Frazier delivered homers to power the Yankees offense.
The Shadow League on Twitter
Here is Aaron Judge’s three-run shot that JUST makes it over the left-field wall:
It was a true MVP performance for CC, who was also ALCS MVP back in 2009 when the Yankees won the World Series. Now the series has changed and the Yankees dont have to wait long to tie it up as they will face Houston at 5:00 pm today at Yankees Stadium.
