CC Sabathia Makes His Milwaukee Brewers Debut

About 30 hours after he was acquired from the Indians, CC Sabathia made his first start as a Milwaukee Brewer on Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park.

He could've easily taken some time off to make a slow transition to the NL, but he just wanted to get to Milwaukee and pitch. And pitch is what he did.

Sabathia received standing ovations every time his name was announced on the PA; whenever he took the mound, and of course, after every one of his five strikeouts.

He also walked five, two of which came in the first inning, which can easily be attributed to being fired up, as Milwaukee had a serious case of CC-mania. Energy played a big roll in the way he pitched Tuesday.

The Brewers gave Sabathia three early runs when All Star left fielder Ryan Braun hit a majestic blast to left in the bottom of the first inning. Getting quick runs on the board was the reason for his early struggles while in Cleveland.

Milwaukee added another in the third for a comfortable 4-0 lead; at least until the Rockies' sixth. With the score at 4-1, Colorado catcher Yorvit Torrealba doubled in two runs with the bases loaded and no one out. The Rockies ran into a double play to help get Sabathia out of a jam.

Walking off the mound after the sixth with a 4-3 lead, Sabathia clearly showed his emotions in front of the sell out Milwaukee crowd.

After Sabathia's exit, the Brewers scored three more runs to Colorado's zero, and gave the reigning AL Cy Young champ a 7-3 win for his first NL victory.

CC Sabathia's first NL outing was less than spectacular, but he got the all-important 'W' by having a quality start. He went six complete, allowing five hits and three runs, two of which were earned, all on 97 pitches.

Sabathia doesn't need to be outstanding for the Crew; he simply needs to pitch well enough to keep Milwaukee in games and get wins. 

I think all Brewers fans will gladly take 10 more starts just like the one they saw from Sabathia on Tuesday night.