Yankees' CC Sabathia tells WFAN he wants to play next season

CC Sabathia's contract with the Yankees expires after this season, but that doesn't mean he'll be considering retirement during the winter. The 36-year-old southpaw told WFAN radio on Thursday that he intends to play baseball next season, even if he's not pitching in the Bronx. “I haven’t thought about where or anything like that,” Sabathia said. “I’m kind of taking it one start at a time, but I definitely want to keep playing. It’s gone by really quick, and it’s just been a great time. I didn’t know what to expect coming to New York, but it’s been nothing but great stuff, and I love it here. This has become my home." In his last five starts, Sabathia has been lights-out, going 5-0 with a 1.11 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. His most recent start came on Wednesday night, with him tossing eight scoreless frames against the Red Sox for the first time in his career. "My changeup’s been really good, and I think everything’s just been coming together," Sabathia said. "We’ve been getting some leads early, which makes it comfortable to go out there and pitch. It’s just been a good stretch right now. "I've been good so far -- my knee's holding up. Hopefully I can continue to keep getting my treatment and things like that and just staying out on the field and helping the team win." Sabathia's recent rejuvenation has come at a fortunate time for the Yankees, as the team is figuratively without its true ace, Masahiro Tanaka, who's struggled mightily on the hill this year.  "Considering the difficulties that Tanaka's having right now, it's really helping out with CC -- he's really stepped up," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told WFAN. "It just means a lot in the clubhouse. Because of who CC is and what we've seen CC do and how hard he fights every time he goes out, guys really look up to him and they really want him to do well because he means so much to this team." And that's no exaggeration. Although the team hasn't faced a great deal of adversity, Sabathia is 6-0 with a 1.25 ERA in seven starts following a Yankee loss this season. "I think CC loves that responsibility on his shoulders," Girardi said. "He embraces the challenges, and that's why he's so good." Entering Thursday night, the Yankees (33-23) sit atop the American League East standings, two games ahead of the Red Sox. While New York's level of play has come as a surprise to most fans and analysts, Sabathia believed in the team's potential back in February. "I know that the level of talent that’s been in here, it just takes a little bit to come together,” Sabathia said. “But I think from Day 1 of spring training this team has kind of jelled really nicely with the young guys and the veterans and everybody playing their positions, so I think it can only get better from here.” The entire interview can be heard in the audio player above.

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