Yankees' CC Sabathia Records 3000th Strikeout vs. Diamondbacks
Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia recording his 3,000th strikeout on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, becoming the 17th pitcher in MLB history to reach the milestone.
Entering Tuesday's game with 2,997 strikeouts, Sabathia hit the mark by striking out John Ryan Murphy with an 84-mph changeup to end the second inning. The crowd at Chase Field gave Sabathia a standing ovation, and his teammates came out of the dugout to congratulate him on the achievement.
The veteran lefthander leads all active players in strikeouts, followed by Astros' ace Justin Verlander (2759) and three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (2503). Hall of Fame righthander John Smoltz (3,084) sits directly ahead of Sabathia on the all-time strikeouts list. Two other Hall of Famers, Randy Johnson (4875) and Steve Calton (4136) are the only two lefthanded pitchers with more strikeouts than Sabathia.
The 38-year-old pitcher is in his 19th MLB season and his 11th with the Bronx Bombers. Sabathia has been with the Yankees since 2009, when he won a World Series with the team, after previously playing for the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers.
Sabathia has a career 3.69 ERA through 541 starts, posting a 247–153 record. He is a six-time All-Star and won the AL Cy Young in 2007.
In November, Sabathia announced that 2019 would be his final year in MLB. He signed a one-year, $8 million deal to remain with the Yankees for his final season.
