6. The Yankees can trust CC Sabathia
Sabathia’s sterling start in Game 1 of the series was a very pleasant surprise for the Yankees. He’s been pitching well all season long, but there’s been a pervading feeling of impending doom about how his season will end. Coming up big in such a pivotal game should give the Yankees front office legitimate hope he can be a factor in the playoffs.
The 6-foot-6 left-hander scattered six hits through seven innings against the vaunted Red Sox offense. Sabathia only gave up one run on the bump which allowed the Yankees to cruise to a comfortable victory. The quality start dropped his ERA to an impressive mark of just 3.02 on the campaign.
If the postseason started right now, Sabathia would likely be the Yankees’ number two starter. It’s unlikely the season will finish that way, but it is a good bet he’ll be a part of the postseason rotation. That’s quite an accomplishment for the 37-year-old.
Sabathia has reinvented himself as a true finesse pitcher. He can’t blow hitters away with the fastball anymore, but he’s flashed incredible command for all of his pitches this season. That command will play well during the playoffs too. Sabathia has gone from a huge question mark to a player Boone can count on when October arrives.