New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia has a strained left hamstring and won't pitch again this season according to the club. Sabathia has struggled in 2013, posting a career worst 4.78 ERA in 211 innings.
New York's ace just hasn't had it this year. He turned 33 in July, and his fastball velocity took a huge step back this season to 91.1 mph. Sabathia has also struck out fewer than 20% of the batters he's faced for the first time since 2005, before he was even a Cy Young winner. in the second half of 2013, Sabathia has a 6.08 ERA while his strikeout and walk rates have both gone in the wrong direction.
Sabathia is also allowing home runs at the highest rate of his career. He had never allowed more than one per nine innings in his career, but has surpassed that threshold this year, giving up 28 long balls in those 211 innings. Sabathia is due $71 million over the next three seasons, along with a $25 million vesting option for 2017 related to the health of his shoulder.
Sabathia's last start this year was on Friday against the Giants, when he suffered the injury. In that outing, he allowed just one run on seven hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking three. That start resulted in a game score of 60, the first time he's hit that mark since before the All-Star Break. He was scheduled to start on Thursday against the Rays, but obviously won't be making that appearance. Instead, Ivan Nova will be pushed up a day to start the season finale at Yankee Stadium, while Andy Pettitte's final career regular season start will be pushed up to Friday and David Huff starts on Saturday in Houston.
With six games to play, the Yankees are four games behind the Indians for the second wild card spot in the American League. The club needs a tremendous amount of luck to simply make their way to the one game wild card playoff, and it will be difficult for the team to get there without Sabathia, even with his struggles in 2013.
