After leading the Yankees to their first World Series championship in
nine years with a 1.98 ERA in four postseason
starts, Sabathia received the Warren Spahn
Award as baseball’s top left-handed pitcher.
Sabathia took home the honor for the third consecutive year. The 29-year-old credits his teammates for his success.
"It takes a lot of pressure off when you can just go out and know that if you do your job and worry about what you have to do, then those guys are going to take care of the rest," Sabathia told ESPN.com. "Every game I started this year, I didn't feel like I needed to go out and throw a shutout or go out and be perfect. Just keep the game close, and hopefully, my team is going to score enough runs to win."
The Yankees pitcher says he enjoys pitching for an organization that truly cares about winning.
"Being on that big stage and knowing that the Yankees are committed to winning — going out and getting a [Curtis] Granderson, going out and trading for another pitcher, Javy Vazquez — it just makes you feel good that the organization's committed to winning even after you win a World Series," Sabathia said.
Sabathia went 19-8 with a 3.27 ERA during the 2009 regular season. The left-hander has a chance to match Randy Johnson's record four Warren Spahn Awards if he has a similar performance this year.
