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CC Sabathia, aided by knee brace, solid in spring debut

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CC Sabathia back on mound for first time since he checked himself into rehab.Jeff Roberson/AP

CC Sabathia back on mound for first time since he checked himself into rehab.

JUPITER, Fla. – How comfortable was CC Sabathia during his first outing of the spring Tuesday afternoon? About as uncomfortable as the Marlins looked trying to hit him.

The big lefthander was back on the hill for the first time since last Oct. 1, aided once again by the knee brace that helped him have great success during the final month of the season before he checked himself into rehab for alcohol addiction on Oct. 5.

Now in his 16th major-league season, Sabathia wasn’t making too much of his two-inning start, though his line — he didn’t allow a hit, issued one walk and struck out two batters while throwing 16 of 25 pitches for strikes — was certainly a good way to kick off his spring.

CC SABATHIA READY TO START AGAIN FOR YANKEES

“I got some quick outs, quick swings,” Sabathia said. “I threw everything, so I felt good. It felt good just to be back out there. It’s fun to be competing again.”

He wasn’t even bothered when pitching coach Larry Rothschild told him he would be taking the long trip to Jupiter, though he’ll have other thoughts if he’s asked to take another one like it any time soon.

“That bus ride was terrible,” Sabathia said. “Four hours. It was bad. I’m too old to be riding on a bus.”

For the past two years, Sabathia has struggled with his right knee thanks to a degenerative condition, one that prevented him from finishing pitches the way he did for the first 13 years of his career.

The much ballyhooed brace that he began wearing when he returned from the disabled list September has been a savior for the 35-year-old, who posted a 2.17 ERA in five starts to close out 2015.

“No problems landing; I think that’s why I’m a little ahead of where I was last year in spring training, just because I feel a lot better and my mechanics are where they should be right now,” Sabathia said. “It’s just about building on that and trying to keep that going.”

Joe Girardi thought Sabathia looked more like his old self Tuesday than he did during the past couple springs. He’s no longer a power pitcher, but even a finesse hurler needs to be able to finish his delivery without fear of his knee buckling beneath him.

“I think his knee kept him from, at times, doing what he wanted to do,” Girardi said. “To me it looked like the guy that we’ve had that’s had command.

“We’re happy with where his knee is; the brace has really made a difference. I don’t even ask now, ‘How’s your knee?’ It hasn’t been an issue since he started wearing the brace.”

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Sabathia’s first strikeout came on a slider against Christian Yelich in the first inning, a pitch catcher Austin Romine described as: “Down, going away, sweeping; he didn’t have a chance.”

Martin Prado chased a high cutter in the second inning for Sabathia’s other strikeout. Sabathia used to refer to his slider as a cutter, but he now throws a true cutter after working on the pitch with Andy Pettitte in recent years.

“I was very impressed with the command of the cutter; I think it opened up a lot more for him,” Romine said. “When you have all those pitches moving in and out like that, you’re going to do pretty well in the game. A lot of uncomfortable swings.”

CC Sabathia sits in the dugout after working the first inning.Jeff Roberson/AP

CC Sabathia sits in the dugout after working the first inning.

Sabathia brushed aside a question about needing to compete for a spot in the rotation this spring, saying the situation “just kind of is what it is.” Girardi won’t say directly that Sabathia is battling Ivan Nova for the final spot, keeping to his politically correct “we want to find out who our five best starters are” answer.

What will Girardi be looking for from Sabathia as he tries to collect enough information to make the final decision?

“You’ll look at his stuff, you’ll look at the swings, you’ll look at his command,” Girardi said. “Is he in good counts? That sort of thing. Hitters really tell you what a guy’s stuff is, they really do, by the contact that they make. So, that’s what you look at.”

Sabathia admitted to having a little more adrenaline on Tuesday, but there were no butterflies in his stomach as he prepared to throw his first pitch. Still, it’s clear he was having a good time doing what he loves to do.

“Today was just like any other start, but getting to spring training was definitely a lot of fun,” Sabathia said. “If I can just keep working on stuff, I’ll get better as time goes.”

He’s just not taking any more long bus rides.

“Maybe I’ll take a helicopter next time,” Sabathia said.

Tags:
cc sabathia ,
new york yankees ,
mlb ,
joe girardi

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