Sabathia leads Yankees to sweep Brewers

The memories came flooding back. And with them came unexpected nerves.

CC Sabathia couldn't help but think back to his time in Milwaukee when Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks stepped to the plate to face him Thursday. Those three months he spent with the Brewers felt more like a lifetime, he said.

"I was really nervous," Sabathia said. "That was my team. That was a special moment that I had with them in 2008. Really one of the best stretches in my career, and just sharing that with them and seeing them here -- I don't know. It was just weird."

Sabathia never let on to those emotions, though. He struck out 13 in 72/3 innings, tying his career high, to lead the Yankees to a 5-0 victory over the Brewers and a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees (48-31) have won five in a row -- their longest winning streak since eight straight from Aug. 28-Sept. 4, 2010 -- and 15 of 19 entering Friday night's Subway Series rematch against the Mets at Citi Field.

Sabathia's 13 strikeouts (all swinging) were the most by a Yankee since Roger Clemens fanned 13 on June 3, 2002, against Baltimore. It was the most by a Yankees lefthander since David Wells struck out 13 against Oakland on Sept. 1, 1998.

It was vintage Sabathia, the type of performance the Brewers had witnessed in his 17 starts for them -- in which he went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA -- after they obtained him from Cleveland on July 7, 2008.

Fielder, whom Sabathia considers his younger brother, struck out on three pitches with the bases loaded in the third but almost took him deep in the sixth. Andruw Jones made the catch just in front of the leftfield wall.

"It's like facing a Cy Young [winner]," said Fielder, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, the last against Boone Logan in the eighth. "It was tough. That's what I'm used to seeing from him. Whenever someone like that is locked in, you have to hope he makes a mistake. But unfortunately, he didn't."

Sabathia (11-4), who also struck out 13 on Sept. 14, 2007, while with Cleveland, earned his eighth victory in his last nine outings and became the first major-leaguer to record his 11th win before the Tigers' Justin Verlander joined him later in the afternoon.

Sabathia said he had something to prove when he faced the Indians for the first time after they traded him, but he experienced a much different emotion this time.

"These guys traded for me," said Sabathia, who tossed seven complete games and three shutouts to help the 2008 Brewers clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 1982. "I had a great time there. I still talk to a lot of these guys. I know these guys."

Braun, who had three of the six hits off Sabathia and went 7-for-10 in the series, singled to end his afternoon with two outs in the eighth and Fielder due up. Sabathia waved his glove at the crowd of 46,903, who stood and cheered loudly in appreciation.

"I think there is [a little more motivation] 'cause he's got a lot of close friends on that team," manager Joe Girardi said. "CC could spend a week on a team and you'd fall in love with his personality. He's that the type of guy . . . I know they appreciated what he did and I'm sure they loved having him."

Sabathia said the credit should go to Francisco Cervelli, but the backup catcher wouldn't hear of it. "He's the king here," said Cervelli (three hits, two RBIs), who threw out speedy Carlos Gomez in the sixth when he struck out on a pitch that went to the backstop. "I just give the target."

The Yankees, who gave Alex Rodriguez, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson a day off, took a 2-0 lead on Robinson Cano's two-run double to left-center off lefthander Randy Wolf (6-5) in the first inning. Mark Teixeira hit his major league-leading 25th home run -- and 300th of his career -- over the leftfield wall to lead off the third and Cervelli added RBI singles with two outs in the third and eighth innings.