New York Yankees' CC Sabathia points at the Tampa Bay Rays dugout after he was ejected for hitting Tampa Bay Rays' Jesus Sucre with a pitch during the sixth inning of a baseball game. (AP)
New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia was ejected from Thursday’s game for deliberately hitting Tampa Bay's Jesus Sucre with a pitch, and it proved costly.
Sabathia was two innings shy of earning a $500,000 bonus before he was tossed from the game in the sixth inning for hitting Sucre in the leg. Sabathia entered the game having pitched in 148 innings and needed to get through the seventh for the bonus to kick in.
“I don't really make decisions based on money, I guess,” Sabathia told reporters after the game, according to ESPN. “Just felt like it was the right thing to do.”
Sabathia stared down the Rays' dugout as he walked off the mound.
The ejection came after the umpire warned both teams following Rays pitcher Andrew Kittredge throwing a pitch behind Yankees catcher Austin Romine – in the middle of a blowout.
“You don't throw at someone's head. He did what he felt he needed to do,” Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton said of Sabathia.
New York ended up beating Tampa Bay, 12-1. The Yankees’ magic number to clinch home field advantage in the wildcard playoff is down to one. The Yanks will play the Oakland A's.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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