CC Sabathia has fanned a ton of batters — 3,002 and counting over 19 seasons — but no one to date has struck out more against the towering southpaw than… Carlos Peña.
The once-feared slugger was the victim of 26 Sabathia strikeouts, and suffered a meager .149/.231/.362/.592 line, while managing three home runs, in 47 lifetime at-bats versus the probable future Hall of Famer.
Sabathia on Tuesday night became the 17th member of the 3,000 strikeout club after whiffing former Yankee and Arizona Diamondback John Ryan Murphy on a low changeup. He is three wins away from 250, and every hurler to achieve both accolades, aside from the steroid-tainted Roger Clemens, has been honored with a plaque in Cooperstown.