As you’re no doubt already aware, C.C. Sabathia’s first outing of 2006 was a short one. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s Bud Shaw is quick to question the pitcher’s preperation.
The only thing more surprising than C.C. Sabathia leaving Sunday’s rain-soaked game with a pulled abdominal muscle is that the injury didn’t happen while being whisked off the mound by a tornado.
At one end of the spectrum – safe from all attempts to match it – stands Bob Feller’s Opening Day no-hitter in 1940. In Chicago, of all places.
At the other end, we have a second nomination from Sabathia – unable to make his 2005 Opening Day assignment at U.S. Cellular Field because of a March 6 pulled oblique muscle, and now lasting just 37 pitches in Sunday’s game.
Two plans need a strong review less than 24 hours into this fresh season. Sabathia’s spring fitness regimen is one of them.
He didn’t pitch for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic so he could be ready for the season.
So you can’t blame him for doing something unnecessary that jeopardized his commitment to the Indians. But two years in a row is enough to look again at what he’s doing to prepare to pitch early in the season.
Five Indians pitchers made 30 starts last year for the first time in history. Nobody expected that to happen again. But nobody expected the Opening Day starter to walk off hurt before the first rain delay of the season, either.