Sabathia admits being 'too drunk to do my job' for Yankees in 2015

Retired pitcher CC Sabathia admitted in an upcoming documentary about his career that he was once "too drunk to do my job" while pitching for the New York Yankees, according to the New York Post's Dan Martin.

In "Under the Grapefruit Tree: The CC Sabathia Story," set to premiere Dec. 22 on HBO, the 40-year-old discusses how alcoholism nearly ended his career.

"(A) secret I was hiding really could have destroyed all of this," Sabathia said.

Sabathia struggled with his alcohol use while playing for the Yankees, resulting in him checking into a rehab facility in 2015.

Before he entered rehab, Sabathia was involved in two public incidents - in Atlanta, he was photographed smoking marijuana, and in Toronto, he got into a fight outside a nightclub.

During the 2015 regular season's final series in Baltimore, Sabathia said he was "too drunk to do my job" and wasn't able to throw a bullpen on the final day of the campaign.

He would have a drink waiting for him in his locker following a start. After pitching, he would be "hammered" for two days, then take two days off to recover for his next start, Martin adds.

Sabathia said he "never told the full story" and wanted to make his alcoholism and his relationship with his father central themes of the documentary.

"The weekend in Baltimore, the effect my dad's passing had on me," Sabathia said. "I wanted to give him his tribute. He's a big reason why I made it as far as I did."

Sabathia's father, Corky, died of cancer in 2003.

Following his stint in rehab, Sabathia returned to pitch for New York in 2016 before retiring at the end of the 2019 campaign.

The southpaw won 37 games and authored a 3.98 ERA in 587 2/3 innings for the Yankees during those years while also making seven playoff appearances.

Sabathia said he's been sober for five years.