HOUSTON - No offense to the Houston Astros, but that wasn’t supposed to happen. Not after everything we had been told about CC Sabathia for the past few weeks, what the pitcher himself assured us leading up to Tuesday night’s New York Yankees opener.
We knew going in that spring training stats were about as useful as a MetroCard in this Texas city. But Sabathia convinced us the 16 scoreless innings to wrap up the Grapefruit League were legit, his 1.27 ERA had some meaning.
And we fell for it.
The 89-mph fastball? Not to worry. Combined with an improved change up, the slant on his slider and the newly developed cutter, you’d never know the difference. By the time they broke camp in Tampa, even the Yankees believed.
Unfortunately for CC, the Astros didn’t buy into the hype. They looked at his pitches for what they actually were - rawhide-covered marshmallows - and smacked Sabathia around for six hits and six runs in the first two innings en route to a 6-2 victory over the Yankees.
It was hard to fathom. Even when Dexter Fowler led off the game with a 400-foot double to the base of the grassy knoll situated beyond the centerfield warning track, we figured it to be a lucky punch. Sabathia fell behind 2-and-0 and tried to slip an 88-mph fastball in for a strike. Fowler had other ideas.
The Yankees’ defensive antics didn’t help, and already down 2-0, Sabathia served up a stunning two run homer to Jesus Guzman, who clubbed yet another 89-mph fastball. This one caromed high off the train bridge in left-centerfield. A few more feet, and with the retractable roof open, the ball would have left the stadium.
Shocking, really. And when L.J. Hoes opened the second inning with a home run - this time on a hanging changeup - it was starting to get ridiculous. Two more doubles and Sabathia was downgraded from supposed ace to bullpen saver.
A day earlier, Brian Cashman had questioned the notion of Sabathia as an ace, suggesting he needed to prove he deserved the title. The general manager wasn’t being cruel - simply realistic. And it’s not like he doesn’t want that for Sabathia. The Yankees still owe him $76 million, and Sabathia holds a $25 million vesting option for 2017.
The reinvention of Sabathia needs to work out for both parties involved. But knowing how much of an X-factor Sabathia could be, Cashman refused to say he was the vital cog to the Yankees’ rebound this year.
“He’s one of many,” Cashman said before the opener. “He’s a big piece, no doubt. He’s the leader of our staff and someone that when he takes the mound every five days, we’re used to feeling really good about. And right now, as we enter the season based on the spring he just had, we feel really good about him.”
Did two bad innings erase all those warm, fuzzy thoughts? Maybe not entirely. Sabathia did follow up with four scoreless innings, so perhaps he made an adjustment or two.It also helps to remember that Sabathia is usually awful on Opening Day. This was his sixth consecutive opener for the Yankees - matching Lefty Grove (1932-37) for the club record - and he’s 0-3 with a 7.72 ERA in those games.
Sabathia came up with plenty of reasons for his struggles last year, most of which stemmed from off season elbow surgery. Despite those concerns, he still was decent in April, and his 3.35 ERA that month was the lowest of any in 2013. That he didn’t have an explanation for.
“Getting lucky,” Sabathia said after Monday’s tuneup. “Just grinding. At the end of the day, you’re a competitor. I think that’s what kind of pushed me through last year. I had to put it all on the line. That’s all I had.”
If only Sabathia was unlucky Tuesday night. The Yankees could live with that. What they can’t stomach is another season of wondering what the heck is going on with Sabathia. Remember, the Astros were supposed to be the easy part.
The American League East is waiting. And those teams will make Tuesday night look like a pillow fight.
Sports, Pages 16 on 04/03/2014