The New York Yankees have been hanging around in the wild card race all season despite a mounting list of injuries and an inconsistent offense and with their postseason hopes dwindling by the day, the team has decided to shut down starting pitcher CC Sabathia for the rest of the season.
Sabathia has not been himself for most of the year and has been up and down, especially during a stretch over the summer when he couldn't find a way to win a game. The team was close to the wild card a week or so ago, but after a few tough losses, it appears as though any chance of the playoffs is now gone, especially after they lost on Sunday in Mariano Rivera's final game at Yankee Stadium.
According to ESPN.com, general manager Brian Cashman made the announcement on Monday, saying that Sabathia is dealing with a hamstring issue and that he will be scratched from his final start of the year and shut down until the 2014 season. The Yankees are still mathematically alive for the playoffs, but they are four games back with only six left to play and their chances are slim, although they are playing the Rays next and could sweep to make it interesting.
Cashman said that Sabathia injured himself last week on Friday night when the team won against the Giants behind a slam from A-Rod that gave him the lone spot as the all-time grand slams leader, but now Sabathia will be done for the year even if the Yankees make it. Sabathia has been struggling all season and now he will be heading into next year with question marks after his performance in 2013.
The team came into the season with a ton of injuries and they continued to build as the season wore on, with an all-star list of names, such as Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Granderson again right after he tried to return. The team did not have as much power in the lineup as last year and the pitching was not up to par with what's expected, especially from Sabathia.
Hiroki Kuroda was the most consistent pitcher for the Yankees and the way things went for Phil Hughes likely means that he is done playing in the Bronx. No playoffs means an early start to what could be a very tumultuous offseason, as Mariano Rivera is retiring, Rodriguez's appeal for his suspension likely will be heard and on top of that, second baseman Robinson Cano is set to be a free agent, which many fans are dreading.
Sabathia was the rock for the Yankees last season, but this year, whether it was weight problems, fatigue or just something else entirely, the man they call CC was no rock for the Yankees. The team is just 82-74 this season and they are a bit too far behind with the games on the schedule to realistically get into the playoffs. Hey, ya never know.
