New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia said he felt fine Tuesday after making his spring training debut against the Toronto Blue Jays in Tampa, Fla.
Sabathia made his first competitive appearance since May 10; he missed the remainder of last season due to a right knee ailment. He underwent season-ending surgery July 23 to clean up inflammation and swelling in the knee.
In two innings against Toronto, Sabathia allowed two runs on four hits while striking out two. He was the losing pitcher as the Yankees fell 4-2.
“I was really nervous, more so than normal,” Sabathia said. “It was kind of weird. … I never really settled in. I think it was just being a big league game again, being out there with my teammates. I hadn’t been out there in a big league game in almost a year. …
“I felt good. No complaints. I want to work on my changeup a little more and get that down. I want it to be my No. 2 pitch instead of my cutter. My fastball command was pretty good.”
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, “I was really pleased. I liked the way the ball was coming out of his hand.”
Sabathia, 34, finished 3-4 with a 5.28 ERA in eight starts last year. A six-time All-Star, he posted double-digit win totals in each of the previous 13 seasons. Sabathia won the American League Cy Young Award as a member of the Cleveland Indians in 2007, and he won a career-high 21 games for the Yankees in 2010.