The miraculous revival of CC Sabathia's career added another improbable chapter Friday night, when the Yankees left-hander pitched seven scoreless innings against the Tigers to earn his 218th career victory.
Sabathia gave up five hits and two walks and struck out four to even his record at 4-4. New York won 4-0.
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It's hard to believe, but the former Cy Young Award winner and six-time All Star has never had a run like this in his career. The 35-year-old pitcher's ERA now stands at 2.28. That's the best mark of his career after 10 starts. He has an 0.71 ERA in his past six starts, the best six-game stretch of his career.
That's a totally unexpected comeback for an aging player who had gone 23-27 in his past three seasons in New York, with fat ERAs between 4.73 and 5.28. His 2015 season ended, of course, when he checked himself into rehab with a drinking problem.
Player of the day
Matt Carpenter, Cardinals — Carpenter had two hits, including his 10th home run, and two walks in six plate appearances in the Cardinals' 9-3 win in 12 innings in Pittsburgh. He scored two runs and drove in three.
Highlight
Kirk Nieuwenhuis gets a good break on the ball, runs back to the wall in dead center and leaps to rob Kelly Johnson of a home run.
Three things to know
— Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole left the team's home game against the Cardinals in the third inning with muscle tightness in his right biceps. After meeting with Bucs manager Clint Hurdle and a team trainer on the mound, he left the game. He had thrown only 35 pitches and left leading 1-0. Cole will undergo further evaluation Saturday.
— The Philles placed right-hander Vince Velasquez on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right biceps. He left Wednesday's game against the Cubs after only two pitches.
— The White Sox parted ways with veteran shortstop Jimmy Rollins on Friday, designating him for assignment. The 37-year-old Rollins, the 2007 NL MVP, was hitting just .221. To replace Rollins on the roster, the Sox called up their No. 2 prospect, shortstop Tim Anderson. Anderson went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in his debut against the Royals.
What's next
Orioles (36-24) at Blue Jays (33-30), 1:07 p.m. ET — The Orioles were supposed to be the doormats of the American League East this season, but have surprised everyone by heading into mid-June atop the division. But there's a long way to go, starting with this four-game series against the Blue Jays — the trendy preseason choice to win the AL East. The O's won the opener Thursday, Toronto won Friday. Saturday afternoon, the Orioles will send Mike Wright (3-3, 5.14 ERA) to the hill, coming off seven shutout innings in his last outing against the Royals. The Jays will counter with J.A. Happ, who resurrected his career in Pittsburgh late last season and has continued his success with the Jays this year (6-3, 3.57 ERA).
Rangers (37-24) at Mariners (34-27), 10:10 p.m. ET — The Rangers and Mariners were tied atop the AL West at the end of May, but the Rangers have since opened up an three-game lead on Seattle. If you like offense, you'll like this: The Mariners entered Friday second in the AL in runs scored, the Rangers third. Colby Lewis will try to maintain his perfect record (5-0, 3.20 ERA) for the Rangers while Seattle will go with James Paxton, who is 0-2 with a respectable 3.72 ERA in two starts since being called up from Triple-A Tacoma.