Game 4: Blanton Vs. Sabathia
By RONALD BLUM and KAREN ARAIZA
Updated 7:00 PM EST, Sat, Oct 31, 2009
CC Sabathia will start Game 4 of the World Series for the New York Yankees on three days' rest, going up against Joe Blanton for the Phils.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it's possible A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte also could come back on short rest later, leaving New York with a three-man rotation. Sabathia would pitch a possible seventh game.
Sabathia lost to Cliff Lee in the opener and is 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA in four postseason starts. He will face Joe Blanton in Game 4 Sunday night.
"CC has pitched extremely well for us this year," Girardi said before Game 3 Saturday night. "We wanted to see how he came out
today, how physically he came out today, and he physically feels good."
Sabathia will face Joe Blanton, who talked about his mindset going into Sunday's game. "It's a big game, but it's another game," he said.
"Blanton has definitely been one of our consistent pitchers this year," Charlie Manuel said Saturday. "He'll mix his pitches good, he's got tremendous feel for a pitch and he's very gutty."
Sabathia allowed two runs over seven innings in Wednesday's opener, struggling with his control far more than he did in his
previous postseason appearances. He pitched once on three days' rest in the league championship series, beating the Los Angeles Angels 10-1 in Game 4 while allowing five hits in eight innings with five strikeouts and two walks.
"There is no baseball after the World Series for four or five months, so there will be plenty of time to rest," Girardi said.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Philadelphia
First Published: Oct 31, 2009 5:32 PM EST
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