Time comes for us all. Baseball, as well as any sport, makes that clear. Every player succumbs to age at some point. Time may force a gradual decline, the way it did for Yankees greats Andy Pettitte or Mariano Rivera. Or, age can strike a player overnight, the way it seems to have this season with aging sluggers like Jose Bautista or Carlos Beltran.
Age appeared to catch up to CC Sabathia overnight. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2011, and was still ace-caliber in 2012.