CC Sabathia Calls Red Sox 'Weak' for 1st-Inning Bunt

Following the New York Yankees' 6-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night, Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia was critical of the Red Sox for bunting in the first inning.

According to ESPN.com's Scott Lauber, Red Sox utility man Eduardo Nunez reached base on a Sabathia throwing error after bunting in the first inning, which prompted the 37-year-old veteran to say: "It is kind of weak to me. It is what it is. It just shows what they got over there."

That play led to Sabathia working into a bases-loaded jam with one out, but he got out of it and went on to allow just four hits and one run across six innings en route to picking up the win.

Despite Sabathia's displeasure, Nunez defended his decision to attempt to bunt for a hit:

"It's my game. I cannot change my game. We know he has a bad knee, but it's not my problem. I can't change my game. I have to try bunting. ... If I have to bunt four times in a row, I'll do it. I don't care if he's mad or not. That's what it is. I have to compete, and he has to figure it out. Play in. Or field the ball. I don't care."

Sabathia spent time on the disabled list with a knee injury, but it didn't impact his pitching Thursday, as he improved to 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA against the rival Red Sox this season.

The potential future Hall of Famer admitted after the game that Nunez's bunt gave him some added motivation for the rest of the game: "It gets you fired up. It makes you want to beat them. Obviously, I want to win every time I go out there, but even more so after that. It is too much respect—scared. Let's go. Let's play."

Thursday's win was a huge one for the Yanks after previously getting swept over three games by the Cleveland Indians.

New York now trails Boston by 4.5 games for first place in the AL East, and it has a 2.5-game lead on a playoff spot over the Los Angeles Angels in the wild-card race.