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Overexcited Sabathia delivers win in Brewers debut
MILWAUKEE — When CC Sabathia arrived in Milwaukee, the talk was naturally about his Cy Young Award-level pitching, with a joke here and there about his near-.300 career batting average.
Who knew that it was going to be a quick bit of fielding that was his last big contribution in winning his Brewers debut?
In a highly anticipated outing where the big left-hander was admittedly overexcited, too amped up and prone to overthrowing, Sabathia came away with the victory thanks in part to his catch of a sixth-inning Jayson Nix line drive, which turned into a double play.
"Accident," he said wryly.
A 7-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies was the product of early run support courtesy of a Ryan Braun three-run, first-inning home run and back-to-back key plays in the sixth inning.
The sellout crowd of 42,533 at Miller Park, however, made it clear that this was Sabathia's night, from the two standing ovations before he threw his first pitch to the flashbulbs that fired on his initial offering.
He wasn't at his best, and the hoopla of the last two days — starting with Monday's trade, continuing with his introduction to the media and the fans later in the day and concluding with him taking the mound Tuesday — likely had something to do with that.
"I had a bunch of emotions going through my head," Sabathia said. "Just from the fans, the electricity that they brought to the stadium, I think it just got me a little too excited. My bullpen (session before the game), I rushed through, just ready to get to the game and ready to get things going. And I think that was the reason you saw me be so erratic today."
Sabathia (1-0) allowed five hits and three runs (two earned) in six innings, with five strikeouts and five walks.
"It doesn't matter how many years you've got in, you get in an atmosphere like it was tonight, you're going to be nervous," Brewers catcher Jason Kendall said. "And tonight was unbelievable. The fans were awesome."
It was probably only through an injury to Ryan Spilborghs that Sabathia left the game after six innings with the lead. The Rockies oufielder pulled up at third with a left oblique strain on Yorvit Torrealba's bases-loaded liner down the right-field line.
Brewers third baseman Bill Hall said a healthy Spilborghs probably could have walked the tying run home from first on the play after the ball got into the corner.
But the Rockies couldn't bring Spilborghs' replacement, former Brewers outfielder Scott Podsednik, home from third thanks to quick glove work by Sabathia. He snagged Nix's liner and threw to third to double off a frozen Podsednik.
"That was a huge play," Brewers manager Ned Yost said.
After a walk, Sabathia got pinch-hitter Brad Hawpe to strike out swinging on a 96-mph fastball, the left-hander's 97th and last pitch of the game. He left the field with a shout and a fist pump.
"That was just letting out everything from the past couple of days, and the anticipation of getting out there on the mound and with the five walks being frustrated and not really able to throw the ball where I wanted to," Sabathia said. "It was just kind of a release. You'll see that from me time to time. Not much, but from time to time when I get riled up, I have to let it out."
The night started eventfully for Sabathia, with standing ovations when he was announced as the ninth batter in the starting lineup and when he took the mound. His first pitch was a 94-mph fastball that Willy Tavares took for a strike.
But Sabathia had to work out of an early jam. He walked Tavares on eight pitches, and after a sacrifice and a groundout put the center fielder on third, Garrett Atkins drew a four-pitch walk.
A Spilborghs strikeout — the first of three straight Ks by Sabathia — sent another charge through the crowd and ended the inning.
He allowed a one-out double by Tavares in the third before the first three batters reached base in both the fourth and sixth innings.
Two singles and a J.J. Hardy error loaded the bases in the fourth, but the Brewers allowed only one run when Nix grounded into a double play.
Matt Holliday opened the sixth with a single, and Atkins and Spilborghs followed with walks before Torrealba's double.
"I went out there trying to overthrow, trying to do too much," Sabathia said. "Usually when I get like that, I have a tendency to throw a lot of balls and miss on my fastball."
Braun's 22nd home run of the season, a 430-foot shot off Mark Redman (2-4) deep into the left-field seats on the third at-bat of the Brewers' first, staked Sabathia and Milwaukee to a 3-0 lead.
A bases-loaded walk by Corey Hart and a two-run single by Hall put the Brewers up 7-3 in the seventh, and the bullpen was nearly flawless over the last three innings to seal the victory.
The Brewers sold more than 11,000 tickets to Tuesday's game in the 24 hours from 11 a.m. Monday to 11 a.m. Tuesday, and the Milwaukee faithful gave Sabathia something to remember.
"(Brewers reliever David) Riske told me that the fans have been great and the crowd was unbelievable, but I didn't expect anything like this," Sabathia said. "This has been so much fun. The guys in the clubhouse have made all the difference in making me feel comfortable. I feel like I came into the perfect situation."
Morry Gash/Associated Press
New Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia throws with Colorado's Willy Taveras on second during the first inning Tuesday in Milwaukee. Sabathia won his debut 7-3.
