CC Sabathia Is Like John Wayne in True Grit

CC Sabathia is like John Wayne in True Grit. He is too old and too fat to be facing lineups anymore.

Well come see a fat old man sometime. CC gets by on Grit and Guile. Last night CC didn’t have his good stuff, said catcher Brian McCann after the game, but he battled. He left men in scoring position in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th, and got an out on a Shot that was caught at the wall; but left with only 3 runs across the plate on  nine (9) Tampa Bay hits in 4 and 2/3 innings. You felt like the Yankees were behind 7-2 but the scoreboard read 3-2; the Yanks were in the game.

Escaping the Shooting

In the 2nd, he had bases loaded, then struck out Curt Casili before allowing a two-run double to Logan Forsythe, playing his best Robert Duvall. Then with 2nd and 3rd, CC got Brandon Guyer to ground out to escape further damage.

In the 3rd Tampa Bay had 1st and 3rd, two out, but CC struck out Steven Souza Jr. to end it.

In the 4th Tampa Bay scored a run and again had 1st and 3rd, two out, but CC got Corey Dickerson to ground out to escape further damage.

In the 5th, Steve Pearce hit a shot to the wall in right that Carlos Beltran caught in the warning track. Tampa got runners on first and second and CC was in trouble again.

The Yankees had lost 7 out of 8 coming in; and were 5-9 on the season in last place. Things were grim and here came Ivan Nova, who had been Torched in relief so far this year. The Yankees were like Kim Darby after she got bit by the rattlesnake.

Ivan Nova = Glen Campbell

Then Ivan Nova came in like Glenn Campbell, saving CC and the Yankees with 2 and 1/3 perfect innings.

The Yankee Offense Came Thru Like Kim Darby’s Horse “Little Blackie”

Jacoby Ellsbury stole home to tie the game with 2 outs in the 5th on a 3-2 pitch to Brett Gardner.

Brian McCann, who had tied the game earlier at 2-2 with a 2-run homer, put the Yanks ahead 4-3 in the 6th with a single. Ellsbury doubled in two runs in the 8th to make it 6-3 an easy win for the Yankee ballpen; Dellin Betances came in and threw a filthy curveball/fastball combo and Andrew Miller made a 1-2-3 easy time of the ninth.

Final NY 6 Tampa Bay 3 and afterwards on radio Brian McCann spoke glowingly of CC Sabathia — and how everyone in the Yankee dugout respects him and roots for him, and how on this night, he had pitched with Grit and kept the Yankees in the game despite not having his good stuff.

CC is easy to root for. He has become a native New Yorker. He helped try to court Lebron James to come to the Knicks, telling him there is nothing like winning in NY.

Remember when John Wayne fell off his horse drinking from the bottle? CC fell off his horse too last year but he is back earning his contract and giving the Yankee pitching staff grit. True grit.