MINNEAPOLIS — A month in a rehab program to battle an alcohol problem has helped CC Sabathia return to the list of very good pitchers. However, the biggest reason the veteran lefty has been as good as any starter in the American League and is in the mix to be among the AL All-Star staff next month is his cut fastball.
“Obviously, I have a clear mind and stuff,” said Sabathia, who spent October in a Connecticut facility to get sober after leaving the Yankees on the last day of the 2015 season. Had the Yankees beaten the Astros in the AL wild-card game, Sabathia would not have been on the ALDS roster.