CC Sabathia, a former star pitcher for the New York Yankees, reached a very significant milestone in his life yesterday, and people all over the sports world are celebrating his achievement.
Sabathia made the announcement on Twitter on Wednesday that he has been clean and sober for the past seven years. He commemorated the event by uploading a photo to social media that featured himself with members of his family.
On October 5, 2015, Sabathia made headlines when he checked himself into a rehabilitation facility for alcoholism. As a result, he did not play for the Yankees in their American League Wild Card playoff game.
Fans from all over the world have expressed their congratulations to Sabathia on his achievement. Some people have even claimed that his decision to check himself into a rehabilitation center motivated them to get help for their own alcohol problems.
CC Sabathia spent 7.5 years with the Cleveland (Indians) Guardians, during which time he was selected for the All-Star Game three times and was awarded the Cy Young in 2007. After signing with the New York Yankees in 2009, he quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the team’s most effective pitchers over the subsequent four seasons, helping the Yankees to win their most recent World Series.
In his debut year in 2001, Sabathia became the runner-up for the AL rookie award. He got Cy Young award in 2007. He was instrumental in Cleveland’s 2007 AL Central Division title win. Though he played for the Brewers only in the second half of the 2008 season, the pitcher led them to playoffs after 26 years.
When the Yankees signed him, it was then a record contract for a pitcher in MLB. Sabathia got $161 million for seven years. He was the pitcher with the most wins in 2009 and 2010. Sabathia won the AL MVP award in 2009. The player holds the record for most strikeouts by a lefty in the American League and second-best career wins in MLB. Until his retirement, he was also the best in MLB for wins and total pitches.
Sabathia, however, began to struggle after making it to three more All-Star Games between 2010 and 2012. This was due to a combination of injuries, his falling speed, and, perhaps most seriously of all, issues due to his alcoholism.
But after he got treatment in 2015 and came back to the Yankees the next year, Sabathia started to get some of the skills back that he had lost. Between 2016 and 2018, his ERA was less than 4.00. In 2017, he went 14-5 as a starter, which was the third-best record of his career.
CC Sabathia, congrats on your seven years of sobriety! Cheers to many more to come!
Isn’t Sabathia’s continued sobriety an example for all to follow?
