30-year old lefty starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia’s 2011 regular season is over for the Yankees. He pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Yankees this year and he was 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Sabathia has now pitched in 101 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Yankees and he is 59-23 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. The Yankees will need Sabathia to really step up because the Yankees have some question marks at the back end of the rotation.

Joba Chamberlain and Rafael Soriano went down early in the season due to injuries, which had the Yankees really worried about their bullpen. But then, 33-year old righty Luis Ayala and 28-year old righty Cory Wade stepped up and they have been outstanding all year long. Ayala has pitched in 49 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 2-2 with a 1.69 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Cory Wade was signed away from the division rival Tampa Bay Rays as he was pitching in AAA for them. The Yankees then called him up and the rest has been history. Wade has pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 6-1 with a 1.98 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Give GM Brian Cashman the credit for picking up Ayala and Wade.

41-year old righty reliever Mariano Rivera came into yesterday’s game in Yankee Stadium with the Yankees’ ahead 6-4 in the 9th inning. Rivera was tied with Trevor Hoffman in saves with 601, until he worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a whiff! Rivera is now the all-time saves leader in major league history! Rivera has pitched in 61 games (0 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 1-2 with 43 saves, a 1.98 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Rivera is showing no signs of slowing down as he has only given up 46 hits and 7 walks in his first 59 innings this year while whiffing 57 batters! Rivera has now pitched in 17 seasons with the Yankees, appearing in 1,039 games (10 starts) in which he is 75-57 with 602 saves, a 2.22 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He hasn’t just been outstanding during the regular season either. Rivera has pitched in 94 games (0 starts) in 15 post-seasons for the Yankees and he is 8-1 with 42 saves, a 0.71 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer of all-time without a doubt!

24-year old righty starting pitcher Ivan Nova has been the most dependable starting pitcher for the Yankees for the last few months. In his last 12 starts, Nova is 11-0 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has now pitched in 24 games (23 starts) for the Yankees overall this year and he is 15-4 with a 3.89 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. If the playoffs started right now, the Yankees would have to go with Nova as the #2 starter behind C.C. Sabathia, as he has been that good. The Rockies wanted Nova as part of a package to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez. The Yankees said no to that deal and they are lucky that they did, as Nova is starting to look like a top of the rotation starting pitcher.

24-year old righty starting pitcher Ivan Nova has been incredible since the Yankees called him back up. In his first two starts since his recall, Nova is 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. He has whiffed 16 batters while only walking 1 in his first 14 2/3 innings since coming back to the Yankees. Control was an issue earlier in the year for Nova, but he’s trusting his stuff and pounding the strike zone right now and the results have been amazing. Nova has pitched in 19 games (18 starts) overall this year for the Yanks and he is 10-4 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Nova has essentially kicked 25-year old righty Phil Hughes to the bullpen. Hughes has pitched in 9 games (8 starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 2-4 with a 7.11 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. The Yankees hope that shorter stints in games will bring back Hughes’ old effectiveness as a reliever.