CC Sabathia gets 3,000th career strikeout, but Yankees lose to Diamondbacks
CC Sabathia of the Yankees waves to the crowd after recording his 3,000th career strikeout against John Ryan Murphy (not pictured) of the Diamondbacks during the second inning at Chase Field on Tuesday in Phoenix. Credit: Getty Images/Christian Petersen
PHOENIX — A career many believe will eventually land CC Sabathia in the Hall of Fame reached another milestone Tuesday night.
The 38-year-old Sabathia, with his second-inning strikeout of Arizona’s John Ryan Murphy, became just the 17th pitcher, and the third lefthander, to reach 3,000 strikeouts (Randy Johnson, with 4,875 strikeouts, and Steve Carlton, who has 4,136, are the other lefties).
Sabathia, entering the night needing three strikeouts to reach the plateau, struck out five in his 5 1/3-inning outing but that wasn’t enough on a night the Yankees could barely lay a hand on Zack Greinke and two Diamondbacks relievers in a 3-1 loss in front of 36,352 at Chase Field.
“That’s a hard one to grasp,” Sabathia said of joining Johnson, whom a young hard-throwing Sabathia tried to pattern himself after, and Carlton. “There’s been some great pitchers to play in this game. Being the third lefty is incredible. That list, Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, it’s amazing to be that third person.”
The Yankees (17-12), who fell to 6-2 on this nine-game trip that concludes here Wednesday afternoon, managed just one run and five hits in 7 2/3 innings against Greinke. After Gleyber Torres’ RBI double tied it in the third, Greinke retired the last 14 hitters he faced. Lefty Andrew Chafin struck out Brett Gardner to end the eighth and Greg Holland went 6-for-6 in save chances with a perfect ninth, making it 18 straight Yankees retired to end it.
The Diamondbacks (17-13) tacked on an insurance run in the ninth off Zack Britton to make it 3-1.
“Obviously frustrated we lost,” Aaron Boone said, “but tonight’s about us celebrating a man and what’s been an amazing career.”
Sabathia (1-1) struck out David Peralta to start the second inning looking at a sinker for his first strikeout, then got Christian Walker, swinging at a fastball for No. 2.
Former Met Wilmer Flores momentarily interrupted the chase by crushing a 2-and-1 cutter to left, his first homer of the season making it 1-0 (Flores’ RBI single in the fourth made it 2-1). Then Nick Ahmed singled.
Up stepped Murphy, a former Yankees catcher who was behind the plate when Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte took Mariano Rivera out of his final home game in 2013. Murphy swung and missed at a changeup to end the inning.
Catcher Gary Sanchez, who doubled and scored on Torres’ double in the third to tie it at 1-1, pumped his fist and held on to the ball for safekeeping.
“It’s something I’ll never forget,” Sanchez said through his translator. “In my opinion, CC, he’s a Hall of Fame pitcher.”
In a moment that occurred organically, Yankees players and coaches filed out of the dugout at inning’s end to congratulate Sabathia, who notched his first strikeout April 8, 2001, when he was with Cleveland and he K’d Mike Kinkade of the Orioles. Diamondbacks players also stood on the top step of their dugout and applauded.
Sabathia, smiling, came out of the Yankees dugout after a minute or so and tipped his cap to the fans, many of whom were standing, then detoured to seats near the on-deck circle to hug several family members, reaching his youngest son, Carter, first. In a twist, the pitcher emerged from the dugout with a bat as he was slated to lead off the top of the third against Greinke (he struck out on four pitches).
Boone, who called Sabathia’s induction into Cooperstown “a no-brainer,” said Aaron Judge and J.A. Happ asked him before the game what the club should do when No. 3,000 occurred.
“I said, ‘we’re just going to react, we’re going to let the moment tell us what to do,’” Boone said. “And if that means we run out there and it’s the second out of the inning, or stand outside the dugout and applaud, we’ll just do whatever we think’s right.”
Sabathia, who called 3,000 “a relief” because it had been on his mind since the end of last season, called the reaction of his teammates “awesome.”
“I had no idea what to expect,” Sabathia said. “The reception from the fans here was great. Very special time right now.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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