 arrived in the desert needing three strikeouts to hit 3,000 and got them all in the third inning.The milestone whiff came when John Ryan Murphy, his former batterymate in New York, swung through a changeup, sending the Yankees spontaneously pouring out of the dugout. The crowd roared and continued cheering until Sabathia tipped his cap before hugging his kids.''It's disappointing to lose, but tonight's about celebrating the man in what's been an amazing career,'' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. ''To be a part of it was special.'' Playing his final season, Sabathia became the first pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts since Atlanta's John Smoltz in 2008, and joined Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton as the only lefties to do it.Wilmer Flores hit a solo homer and a run-scoring single off Sabathia. He allowed two runs and five hits, and struck out five before being lifted with two on and one out in the sixth inning.''I was a baseball fan tonight,'' Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. ''What he did is a pretty amazing accomplishment.'' Greinke (5-1) won his fifth straight game and stretched his scoreless innings streak to 18 before Gleyher Torres' run-scoring double in the fourth inning.Greinke allowed one run and five hits in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and has 2,481 in his career to move past Jack Morris (2,478) for 38th all-time.''It was cool, nice facing him,'' Greinke said of Sabathia. ''Always like seeing what some guys have and what makes them good.'' Greg Holland worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save in six chances.CC AND MURPHYSabathia did not want Murphy to be the victim of No. 3,000. It just worked out that way.Murphy spent three seasons with the Yankees and caught 62 of Sabathia's strikeouts, including No. 2,500 in 2015.''It is just speaks to the pitcher that he is,'' said Murphy, who jokingly asked Sabathia if he wanted him to sign the ball. ''To do what he has been able to do the last few years after not being able to have the velocity that he had and a couple of knee injuries that he had, speaks to the kind of guy he is and the competitor he is.'' GODLEY TO BULLPENLovullo shook up his starting rotation by sending struggling right-hander Zack Godley to the bullpen.A replacement in the rotation was not named.Godley is 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA with 18 walks in 29 2/3 innings. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up five runs his last start against the Chicago Cubs.Arizona also reinstated LHP T. J. McFarland (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list. The reliever had been out since March 25 after a steady 2018 season.TRAINER'S TABLEYankees: Infielders DJ LeMahieu (right knee) and Gio Urshela (left hand) were on the bench after being removed from Sunday's game with injuries. Urshela grounded out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. ... SS Troy Tulowitzki (left calf) hit a two-run homer for Single-A Tampa in a rehab game Tuesday night and 3B Miguel Andujar (right shoulder) was 0 for 4 with two errors.UP NEXTYankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka has allowed one earned run in four of six starts heading into Wednesday's game against Arizona. He faces RHP Merrill Kelly, who's held right-handers to a .222 average in his first big-league season.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Sabathia hopes to join 3,000 K club as Yanks take on Arizona Sabathia hopes to join 3,000 K club as Yanks take on ArizonaYankees left-hander CC Sabathia will attempt to become the 17th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,000 strikeouts when he makes his first career appearance at Chase Field against Arizona on Tuesday.Sabathia, the active leader in the major leagues with 2,997 strikeouts, would join Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton as the only left-handers to reach 3,000. He is to oppose Zack Greinke (4-1) in the first game of a two-game series.Delayed at the start of the season after angioplasty and right knee surgery, Sabathia is 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA in three starts, with 11 strikeouts in 15 innings. The Yankees have won all three of his starts."It's cool, especially that short list of lefties," Sabathia told reporters before his last start against the Angels on Wednesday."But it's something that I can't really think about now. I'm focusing on making sure that I stay healthy enough to help the team win. I'm glad that I'll be able to get this out of the way kind of early." Sabathia fanned three in five innings while taking a no-decision in a 6-5 victory over the Angels after striking out a season-high five in five scoreless innings of a 6-2 victory over Kansas City on April 19.John Smoltz (3,084), Curt Schilling (3,116) and Bob Gibson (3,117) are next on the strikeout list. Smoltz was the last pitcher to reach 3,000 when he did it with Atlanta on April 22, 2008. Fourteen of those to reach 3,000 are in the Hall of Fame, with only Roger Clemens and Schilling on the outside.Chase Field will be Sabathia's 32rd venue, including old and new parks in Minnesota and Montreal's Olympic Stadium. Sabathia has made all but 17 of 541 career starts in the American League, with Cleveland and the Yankees.The series matches teams that have been playing well. The Yankees have won 11 of 13 since sweeping a two-game series from Boston on April 16-17 and have won four straight series. Arizona has won 10 of 14.The Yankees have done it while playing through multiple injuries, including those to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar and Gary Sanchez. Sanchez has two homers in four games since returning after missing two weeks with a left calf strain, when he was the 12th Yankee to be placed on the injured list this season. DJ LeMahieu and Giovanny Urshela left Sunday's game, but their injuries are not believed to be serious.First baseman/DH Luke Voit, who had three hits when the Yankees completed a three-game sweep at San Francisco on Sunday, has 25 RBIs this season and has reached base in 39 straight games.With David Peralta, Eduardo Escobar and Christian Walker leading the way, the Diamondbacks lead the NL with 119 extra-base hits and are second in runs. Escobar had two homers in a 6-5, 15-inning loss to the Cubs on Sunday that forced the Diamondbacks into a rotation change for the Yankees' series."We have a good team," said Peralta, who set a franchise record with 13 doubles in before May 1. "We have a lot of talent and a lot of guys hungry to play." Sabathia, a rookie with Cleveland when the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in the 2001 World Series, has won both of his career starts against Arizona, the last coming in 2013.Greinke was moved up to start Tuesday and Merrill Kelly was pushed back because Arizona used all of its relievers Sunday. Greinke has made five straight quality starts, winning four, and has 13 scoreless innings in his last two games. He is 3-4 with a 5.68 ERA against the Yankees in 13 appearances, but beat them the last time he faced them in 2016.--Field Level Media
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