Veteran Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is on the mend after undergoing heart surgery earlier this month.
Per The New York Post, the 38-year-old starter was experiencing ‘acid reflux, heartburn, and increased perspiration’ during a session on the exercise bike. He was proactive in consulting the team medical staff and then going to the hospital for testing. Doctors discovered that Sabathia had a blocked artery leading to his heart. He underwent an angioplasty procedure and had a stent inserted into the artery to open it. Doctors have since told him that his prognosis is ‘excellent’ and that he will be able to report to Spring Training in February as scheduled.
Sabathia’s weight has fluctuated over the years, but the veteran pitcher has always been on the heavier side. He was listed in the 2018 team media guide as weighing 300 pounds, but Pablo Sandoval always lied about his weight, so it’s anyone’s guess. For a man of Sabathia’s 6″6 stature, the recommended BMI range is 160.1 to 216.3 pounds. Hopefully, this will motivate him to stay healthy; according to multiple physicians, 38 is very young to have to undergo a surgery of this kind.
Look, I give the Yankees a lot of crap because, well, they suck. That will never change. But I would never wish harm upon them as individual human beings, or root for them to be injured in any way. There is a line you don’t cross. I said it when Aaron Judge fractured his hand this season, and I’ll say it again now: rooting against a person’s health is wrong, period. It is gross and cruel to wish pain for people just for being on opposing teams. At the end of the day, no matter how much we love it, baseball is a game. Life is not.
Get well soon, CC, so the Red Sox can beat you in 2019.
Photo: Sports Illustrated
