Brewers' Sabathia picks up "Clutch" hardware for 2008 performance
Sports Network | October 23, 2008
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Milwaukee Brewers ace CC Sabathia was named the "2008 MLB Clutch Performer of the Year" on Wednesday, as voted by the fans and bestowed by Major League Baseball.
The award recognizes the player who performed the best when the game was on the line and Sabathia certainly fit the bill in a season that saw the burly southpaw switch cities and leagues before putting the Brew Crew on his back for a march to the playoffs.
Sabathia went a combined 17-10 with a 2.70 earned-run average for the Cleveland Indians and then Milwaukee in the regular season. He tossed a Major League-high 253 innings and finished second with 251 punchouts. He also registered MLB-highs with 10 complete games and five shutouts.
Where Sabathia really garnered the praise was after coming to Milwaukee, joining a club aiming for its first postseason berth since 1982. Following the July 7th blockbuster deal with Cleveland, the 28-year-old stymied the National League with an 11-2 mark and a 1.65 ERA over 17 starts, which included seven complete games and three shutouts.
Further cementing his clutch ability, Sabathia manned the hill on three days' rest in each of his last three starts, and on the final day of the regular season, twirled a four-hit complete game effort against the Chicago Cubs to help the Brewers win the NL wild card.
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