Yankees: Ranking CC Sabathia’s top five moments over the past 11 years

2012 ALDS Game 5

2012 was probably the last season where CC truly dominated the opposition and that carried over into the Yankees first-round ALDS showdown with the Baltimore Orioles. That series also went the distance and CC pitched to an incredible 1.53 ERA in 17.2 innings. In Game One he went 8.2 and struck out nine, only allowing two runs in the Yanks 7-2 win at Baltimore, and followed that up with arguably the best performance of his postseason career during Game 5 in the Bronx.

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CC was the embodiment of an ace that night as he went the distance to help the Yankees advance to the ALCS with a 3-1 win. He struck out seven, gave up only four hits and allowed one run in the first complete game start by a Yankee in the postseason since Roger Clemens back in 2000.

2012 was the same season Mariano Rivera tore his ACL so Joe Girardi opted to stick with CC in the ninth despite entering the inning having already thrown 111 pitches. The O’s went down 1-2-3 on only 10 pitches and CC fittingly finished what he started when he fielded a slow ground ball back to him off the bat of Matt Wieters to clinch the series win.