Owner George Steinbrenner wasn't bestowing a compliment upon Dave Winfield during the 1985 season when he dubbed the right fielder "Mr. May." Winfield played in the postseason in nine years with the Yankees and earned Steinbrenner's ire after he had just one hit in 22 at-bats during the Yankees' six-game loss to the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series.
CC Sabathia still has his own postseason demons to exorcise (he's 2-3 with a 7.95 ERA, 24 strikeouts and 22 walks in five playoff starts), but he continued to prove Thursday that he's earned the flattering version of the "Mr. May" moniker. Sabathia, six days removed from a five-hit shutout of the Orioles, allowed two runs on five hits in eight innings and earned the win as the Yankees edged the Blue Jays 3-2 in the finale of a three-game series in Toronto. "That's what he's used to doing, that's what he likes to do: He likes to go really deep into games," manager Joe Girardi said. "Usually when your starter goes deep into games, you're winning games. That's the type of pitcher he is."
Sabathia certainly seems to find his ace-level form in May. He is 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA and an 18-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 23 2/3 innings over three starts this month. It's a marked improvement over his April numbers (1-2 with a 4.73 ERA and a 19-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 32 1/3 innings over five starts).
Sabathia also warmed up in a hurry last May, when he went 2-3 with a 2.44 ERA and a 41-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 44 1/3 innings over six starts. He had a brutal April last year, when he was 1-4 with a 7.88 ERA and a 33-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 32 innings over six starts.
In addition, Thursday marked the third time in his last four outings Sabathia has lasted at least eight innings. He didn't throw eight innings once in any of his first four outings. Last year, he didn't last eight innings in any of his first five starts but tossed at least eight frames in 15 of his final 30 starts.
Overall, Sabathia is 26-14 with a 3.31 ERA and a 239-to-84 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 49 career starts in May. He is only 12-12 with a 4.54 ERA and a 182-to-93 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 39 starts prior to May 1.
YANKEES 3, BLUE JAYS 2: Hideki Matsui hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the top of the eighth, and CC Sabathia tossed eight strong innings as the Yankees won the finale of a three-game series in Toronto.
Derek Jeter, who missed the first two games of the series with a sore oblique muscle, delivered the game-tying RBI single in the seventh. Rookie catcher Francisco Cervelli had two hits as the Yankees improved to 4-0 with him behind the plate.
Sabathia, who opened the six-game road trip with a shutout of the Orioles, escaped jams in the fifth and seventh. He allowed two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out five. Mariano Rivera struck out one in a perfect ninth for his seventh save, only his second this month.
