CC Sabathia Reveals Why He Opted To Not Have Season-Ending Knee Surgery

This is CC Sabathia’s final season playing Major League Baseball, so a little knee injury wasn’t about to stop him from going after one last championship.

Especially considering the New York Yankees’ successful 2019 season.

“I think if this team wasn’t in a position to win a championship, I probably would have had the surgery a long time ago,” the southpaw told the New York Post’s Dan Martin in Boston this week.

And while things with his knee certainly aren’t perfect, he’s managed to battle through the pain for the sake of success.

“This is way better than I thought,” Sabathia said. “I didn’t think I was gonna get to this point, not with this knee. I think we knew coming into this season it was gonna be a battle. To still be able to have a chance to make starts is all I wanted.”

So whether he maintains a starting role or makes his way to the bullpen, Sabathia simply is happy to pitch.

“It doesn’t matter,” Sabathia told Martin. “Whatever my role is in the postseason, I’m good for it.”

Sabathia likely will return from the 10-day injured list Wednesday after his fourth stint on the IL this season.