Major League Baseball

CC Sabathia goes off about spring training stats

Published Mar. 29, 2015 1:14 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Mike Cole

CC Sabathia is having a brutal spring, but he certainly isn’t concerned about what that might mean for his regular season.

Sabathia was knocked around Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor-league affiliate, the latest in a growing line of disappointments this spring for the New York Yankees left-hander.

Sabathia’s spring numbers are not pretty. He has appeared in two major league games, allowing six runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. Sabathia worked five innings in the minor league game Saturday, allowing two home runs. He has now served up five home runs this spring, counting Saturday’s appearance.

But again, Sabathia isn’t too concerned.

“I don’t give a (expletive) what stock they put in it,” Sabathia said after his outing, according to the New York Post. “It is what it is. I’ve had spring trainings where I’ve given up a lot of runs and went out and had a good season. I’ve had spring trainings like last year where I didn’t give up (any) runs and I gave up (six) in the first game (last season on Opening Day vs. Houston). So you all can put stock in whatever you want. I’m not really worried about it.”

Sabathia has plenty to prove at this point. In 2013, he endured arguably the worst full season of his career. The southpaw allowed a league-high 112 earned runs, posting a 14-13 record with a 4.78 ERA. Things didn’t get much better in 2014. Sabathia underwent season-ending knee surgery in August. That came after he made only eight starts and allowed 27 runs in 46 innings, including 10 home runs.

Sabathia - due to make $23 million this season - won’t be New York’s Opening Day starter. Masahiro Tanaka will get that honor, and Sabathia will take the ball in third game of the 2015 season.

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