Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia joined rarified air on Tuesday night after recording his 3000th strikeout in the big leagues.
The veteran lefty took the mound for the Yankees at Chase Field in Phoenix, needing 3 strikeouts to reach 3,000 in his career. Sabathia, who announced last offseason that the 2019 season would be his last, was well within reach of yet another career milestone.
After striking out the first two batters of the 2nd inning, Sabathia allowed a home run and a walk. Then, former Yankee teammate John Ryan Murphy stepped to the plate.
The 38-year-old went up 1-2 in the count against Murphy and then struck him out with a beautiful diving changeup like so many others that he’s thrown in his career. A historic moment was in the books.
Sabathia became only the 17th pitcher in the history of the MLB to strike out 3,000 batters in a career. He is the first to reach the milestone since the Atlanta Braves’ John Smoltz did so back in 2008.
The Vallejo, California native became only the 3rd-ever left-handed pitcher to reach the feat, joining Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton.
The sure-fire Hall of Famer finished the night with 5.1 innings pitched, 2 runs allowed, 5 strikeouts, and 2 walks as New York fell 3-1 to Arizona.
