“I love baseball and I love my teammates like brothers, and I am also fully aware that I am leaving at a time when we should all be coming together for one last push toward the World Series," the 35-year-old said in the statement.
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Sabathia (6-10 with a 4.73 ERA) has struggled with a sore right knee this season, but his ERA dropped to 2.17 for his five starts since coming off the disabled list Sept. 9 and he pitched the Yankees’ wild-card-clinching victory Thursday against the Red Sox.
The Yankees host the Astros on Thursday in the AL wild-card game with the winner then advancing to play the Royals in the AL Division Series.
Sabathia is 97-56 with a 3.18 ERA with the Yankees and has a 7-2 record in the postseason; he was the ALCS MVP in 2009.
The full text of Sabathia’s statement:
