ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It was as if the Yankees looked at the big, bold zero in C. C. Sabathia’s win column and decided there was only one way to get rid of it: obliterate it with big, bold swings of their bats.
So, with one home run after another — first by Alex Rodriguez, then by Chase Headley, Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner and Mark Teixeira — the Yankees on Monday finally provided Sabathia a modicum of support, beating the Tampa Bay Rays, 11-5.
Sabathia, who missed most of last season with an injured knee, had lost five of six starts and had not won since April 24 of last year.