The strange saga of C.C. Sabathia's 2015 season hit a low point on Oct. 5 when Yankee pitcher announced he was entering an alcohol rehab program a day before the team's wildcard match with the Astros.
On Aug. 15, he got into a fight outside a Toronto club. Two weeks later, he was photographed smoking what appears to be a blunt on the balcony of his hotel room in Atlanta.
At the time, Sabathia said he was being blackmailed by a photo agency, so he posted it on Instagram with the hashtags #ItsOnlyACigar and #MiniCigarillos.
A little more than five weeks later, he shocked teammates and fans with his alcohol-dependence revelation. In a statement to the press, Sabathia acknowledged the odd timing for his announcement:
'I am fully aware that I am leaving at a time when we should all be coming together for one last push toward the World Series. It hurts me deeply to do this now, but I owe it to myself and to my family to get myself right. I want to take control of my disease, and I want to be a better man, father and player.'
Saddled with a sub-par 6-10 record this year, Sabathia earned the team's last victory on Oct. 1. If the Yankees defeated the Astros, he was expected to face the Royals in the divisional playoffs. But now the 6-foot-7 former ace will be out for the post-season. He still has two years left on his contract with the Yankees.
Sabathia's won 214 games during his 16-year MLB career with the Indians, Brewers and Yankees. He has the third-most wins of active pitchers. Sabathia's 9-5 in the postseason and won the World Series with the Yankees in 2009.
