Cutters inside to righties. Changeups away that fall off the table. Sliders to lefties that sweep across the corners. Groundball double plays to get out of jams, just when the team needs them the most. CC Sabathia has finally found it, and he’s looking more and more like his good friend Andy Pettitte.
Sabathia and Pettitte were best friends when they were teammates, often seen sitting together in the dugout during games. Once CC’s stuff began to diminish, he went to Andy who tried to teach him how to adjust to life as an aging pitcher. It looks like CC has finally figured it out.
Pettitte often says that everything in the game of baseball was a grind for him. He was never the most talented guy on the field, but he found a way to make it work – he gave his team a chance to win every time out. If you look at Sabathia’s starts now, you’re seeing the exact same thing. It’s a grind.
Pitching inside is absolutely paramount, and it’s something Pettitte did time after time. It gives the hitter something to think about, and makes them have to cover that part of the zone. This opens up opportunities on the outside of the plate. The basic mantra of pitching is “hard in, soft away.” The best one-two punch is still a good fastball followed by a changeup.
During CC’s next start, I want you to watch how many times he spots a fastball belt high on the black, and then throws a changeup away. He’s upsetting the timing of the hitter, and it’s resulting in weak contact and swings and misses.
Groundball double plays were also a trademark of Pettitte. How many times would he get into a jam and then roll a 6-4-3 DP to get out of trouble? Sabathia currently ranks 16th in all of MLB with nine double plays, and he’s getting them at the right times.
While he’s not going seven, eight innings every start, he’s keeping the Yankees in the game. His ERA of 2.28 is the lowest of his career through the first 10-plus starts of a season. He’s trusting his stuff and learning how to set hitters up and how to pitch. It’s an unbelievable turnaround and a great feel-good story. Sabathia was in a rehab facility seven months ago, and now he’s vying for a spot on the All-Star team.
When Pettitte played, he had a ritual of shaving the day of his start, then letting his beard grow right up until his next one. CC began to copy this, and still does it today. He’s also copying Andy’s style of pitching. All he needs is that stare over the glove for his transformation to be complete.
