The New York Yankees were eliminated from the postseason after getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series.
The Yankees’ World Series championship drought is now 17 years, the second-longest in franchise history.
After the Yankees’ early exit, CC Sabathia made his feelings on his former team clear.
CC Sabathia Criticizes New York Yankees After Playoff Elimination
“[Aaron Judge] was like, ‘there’s a standard that’s set here and we didn’t meet that standard.’ No disrespect, but they don’t know what that standard is,” Sabathia said. “You know why? It’s because there’s no one in there keeping that standard. What’s Gardy left, it’s been a wrap.”
“When I first came, there was Ron Guidry, Reggie Jackson, Mickey Rivers, Willie Randolph. It was not only the core four, it was those guys too. So you knew what the standard was, because the standard was sitting in the room right next to you. Those guys aren’t there no more.”
“Jorge is not around. Derek is sitting on the FOX desk. Mo is somewhere selling hot sauce. These dudes need to be around the clubhouse. They need to be in Tampa in spring training. That was the standard. That’s how the standard is set. Those guys aren’t around no more. It’s completely different.”
Looking at CC Sabathia’s Career
Sabathia made his MLB debut with the Cleveland Indians in 2001.
The left-hander pitched for Cleveland until the 2008 trade deadline, when the Indians traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Sabathia posted 27.5 bWAR and a 3.83 ERA while striking out 1,265 across his eight seasons with Cleveland.
He had a stellar 1.65 ERA with 128 strikeouts across 17 starts in his brief stint with Milwaukee.
After the 2008 season, Sabathia signed a seven-year, $161 million contract with the Yankees.
In Sabathia’s first season with New York, the team won the World Series.
Sabathia ended up staying with the Yankees through the 2019 season. He retired after 2019.
During his time with the Yankees, Sabathia posted 29.4 bWAR and a 3.81 ERA while collecting 1,700 strikeouts.
The southpaw is a six-time All-Star, 2009 ALCS MVP and 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner. He was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025.
CC Sabathia Doesn’t Hold Back on Yankees After Playoff Elimination