CC Sabathia explains why Yankees have a ‘better chance’ in short series
· Yahoo Sports
CC Sabathia knows a thing or two about pitching in - and winning - big games in the postseason.
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And the Hall of Famer and World Series champion believes the current Yankees have a “better chance” to win a short playoff series because of the strength of their starting pitching, which features four aces in Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon.
The Yankees are set to host the rival Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card series beginning Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
“I think the Yankees got a good chance of playing well in the playoffs, especially because of the pitching that we have,” Sabathia said on the YES Network after the franchise honored him by retiring his No. 52 on Friday. “You can set your pitching up any kind of way that you want.
“With us being short in the lineup not having Big G [Giancarlo Stanton], not having [Aaron] Judge, you kind of want to play these better teams in a shorter series, right?
“Like if we can get our pitching lined up and we can play Boston in a short series, and you can play Tampa in a short series with the pitching that we have, I think we have a better chance.”
Michael Kay, who emceed Sabathia’s ceremony and then hosted him in the YES booth, said on his radio show earlier Friday that he believes the Yankees are leaning toward starting Fried in Game 1 on Tuesday against the Red Sox, and Schlittler, the Cy Young favorite, in Game 2, with Cole then positioned to pitch a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday.
Schlittler, who has a 1.16 road ERA this season, would then be positioned to pitch Games 2 and 5 on the road if the Yankees advance to face the Rays in the ALDS.
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