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Sabathia content with simulated start
Prized lefty's 28-pitch outing yields one ball hit into fair territory
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Not long after his teammates boarded their bus for Kissimmee on Monday, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia lumbered onto the mound at George M. Steinbrenner Field and began to throw. A small cluster of reporters and uniformed personnel watched, but otherwise, the field was silent.
Within minutes, he was done, a free and easy simulated game in the Florida chill.
Sabathia threw 28 pitches to Kevin Cash and Hideki Matsui, neither of them on the travel squad for Monday afternoon's game against the Astros. And aside from what would have been a ground-ball single up the middle for Matsui, Sabathia appeared in command, mixing in a curveball and cutter with his fastball and changeup.
Previously having faced hitters during batting practice only, Sabathia will next throw a side session on Wednesday, before making his Grapefruit League debut on Friday evening against the Kitty's.
"It was my first time throwing to guys without a cage or a screen up," Sabathia said. "It just felt good."
Sabathia threw the simulated game in lieu of his first Grapefruit League start, which could have come this week. But the delay doesn't mean that he will have a lighter workload than normal. Due to the season's late start, Sabathia will still have six turns in the rotation -- the same number as last year -- before what will presumably be his Opening Day assignment, on April 6 against the Orioles.
It's perhaps counterintuitive to the notion that because Sabathia threw a career-high 253 innings last season, he might benefit from some extra rest this spring. On the contrary, Sabathia said he would prefer to pitch more often now and to wait longer to fall into the rhythm of starting once every five days.
To that end, Sabathia will be on three days' rest for his Friday start -- a typical occurrence at this point in Spring Training, when pitch counts remain low.
"I didn't do a good job of that last year," Sabathia said of his spring scheduling, which may have been a factor in his 7.76 ERA in April. "I kind of took too much rest. I think I need to throw more to be ready for the season, and I'm going to get that accomplished this spring."
Sabathia's two innings on Monday took about only 15 minutes to complete, including a break halfway through to simulate a half-inning on the bench. Other than the pitch Matsui hit up the middle, only Cash's ground ball to shortstop was hit into fair territory.
Of most interest to Sabathia during the session was his command of the cutter, a pitch that he generally doesn't gain a feel for until later in the spring.
"It usually takes a while for it to get right," Sabathia said, "and I'll just keep working at it and hopefully be ready for the season."
Prized lefty's 28-pitch outing yields one ball hit into fair territory
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Not long after his teammates boarded their bus for Kissimmee on Monday, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia lumbered onto the mound at George M. Steinbrenner Field and began to throw. A small cluster of reporters and uniformed personnel watched, but otherwise, the field was silent.
Within minutes, he was done, a free and easy simulated game in the Florida chill.
Sabathia threw 28 pitches to Kevin Cash and Hideki Matsui, neither of them on the travel squad for Monday afternoon's game against the Astros. And aside from what would have been a ground-ball single up the middle for Matsui, Sabathia appeared in command, mixing in a curveball and cutter with his fastball and changeup.
Previously having faced hitters during batting practice only, Sabathia will next throw a side session on Wednesday, before making his Grapefruit League debut on Friday evening against the Kitty's.
"It was my first time throwing to guys without a cage or a screen up," Sabathia said. "It just felt good."
Sabathia threw the simulated game in lieu of his first Grapefruit League start, which could have come this week. But the delay doesn't mean that he will have a lighter workload than normal. Due to the season's late start, Sabathia will still have six turns in the rotation -- the same number as last year -- before what will presumably be his Opening Day assignment, on April 6 against the Orioles.
It's perhaps counterintuitive to the notion that because Sabathia threw a career-high 253 innings last season, he might benefit from some extra rest this spring. On the contrary, Sabathia said he would prefer to pitch more often now and to wait longer to fall into the rhythm of starting once every five days.
To that end, Sabathia will be on three days' rest for his Friday start -- a typical occurrence at this point in Spring Training, when pitch counts remain low.
"I didn't do a good job of that last year," Sabathia said of his spring scheduling, which may have been a factor in his 7.76 ERA in April. "I kind of took too much rest. I think I need to throw more to be ready for the season, and I'm going to get that accomplished this spring."
Sabathia's two innings on Monday took about only 15 minutes to complete, including a break halfway through to simulate a half-inning on the bench. Other than the pitch Matsui hit up the middle, only Cash's ground ball to shortstop was hit into fair territory.
Of most interest to Sabathia during the session was his command of the cutter, a pitch that he generally doesn't gain a feel for until later in the spring.
"It usually takes a while for it to get right," Sabathia said, "and I'll just keep working at it and hopefully be ready for the season."
