NEW YORK — The New York Yankees gave pitcher CC Sabathia a $500,000 performance bonus, even though the 38-year-old left-hander was ejected from his final regular-season start six outs shy of the 155 innings specified in his contract for the payment.
Sabathia hit Tampa Bay’s Jesus Sucre starting the sixth inning on Sept. 27 with his 55th pitch of the night, retaliation for Andrew Kittredge throwing a pitch behind Austin Romine in the top half.
Sabathia hit Jake Bauers on the knuckles of his right hand with an 88 mph fastball with two outs in the fifth. Kittredge threw a 93 mph fastball behind Romine’s neck with his initial pitch in the sixth. After New York opened an 11-0 lead, Sabathia hit Sucre in the lower left leg with a 93 mph cutter on his first pitch in the bottom half.
On Monday, Sabathia’s agent, Kyle Thousand, told The Associated Press: “We thought it was a very nice gesture by the Yankees.”