Whenever CC Sabathia explained why he got hit hard in seasons before 2016, the refrain was simple.
“The changeup cut,’’ Sabathia said of the hopeless feeling of watching the ball drift into the middle of the plate and begging to be hit hard.
So, on the suggestion of pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Sabathia changed the grip on his changeup in spring training 2016, and it resulted in few instances when the veteran lefty uttered, “The changeup cut,’’ as the reason for hitters hurting him.
Since the beginning of that season, Sabathia, who starts Wednesday night against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, is 15-14 with a 3.