Mar 1, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (52) throws a warm up pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Fat CC Sabathia threw a slider that he called a cutter. Skinny CC Sabathia is going for the true cutter, and he has Andy Pettitte teaching him how to throw it.
“He was showing me a grip with the cutter,” Sabathia told Newsday after a bullpen session with Pettitte. “I used it today and it worked pretty good, so I’m anxious to take it into a game.”
Adding the cutter to the repertoire is just one more sign that Sabathia knows he’s getting older and must adapt in order to continue pitching at an ace level in the majors.
The biggest and most obvious sign was the weight loss, which shrank Sabathia down from portly to svelte, taking some stress off his aging legs.
Now it seems he’s trying to take stress off his arm by going away from the slider-cutter and adopting the true cutter. He’ll have to get more crafty because the velocity just isn’t there.
Skinny CC Sabathia is, literally, less of a man than Fat CC Sabathia. The cutter if he can master it may help him avoid also being less of a pitcher.
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