CC Sabathia got serious about weight loss after cousin died young

CC Sabathia on Friday responded to people on the internet going crazy over his new, skinnier, healthier look, by dismissing the concerns and saying he thinks it’s funny. Sabathia also said that the reason he got serious about his weight loss was because he saw a cousin die young of heart disease.

“During the offseason, I decided to lose the weight to be around my family, be around my kids,” Sabathia told ESPN New York. “I had a cousin pass away that was pretty young from heart disease, so it was just really about that.”

Sabathia’s cousin, Demetrius Davis, died two years ago at 45, inspiring CC to get healthy. The Yankees pitcher told ESPN New York’s Wallace Matthews that he’s lost weight by cutting out carbs and exercising more.

The former Cy Young Award winner now weighs 275 pounds, which is not all that much given his large, 6-foot-7 frame. He lost a lot of weight before last season, which many feel was part of the reason his average fastball velocity dropped to 91 mph. Sabathia admitted that he did not go about the weight loss properly last year and that he physically was not ready to play.

“I lost a lot of weight, but I wasn’t physically ready to go out and play. So this year was just all about training and getting ready to play.”

Sabathia has acknowledged that a lot of people are made at him for getting so skinny, because many Yankees fans feel it will be at a detriment to his pitching. Sabathia told ESPN NY he thinks that’s “hilarious.”

I’ll tell you what’s not hilarious: Sabathia’s career-worst 4.78 ERA last season.

Previously:
CC Sabathia is looking pretty skinny
CC Sabathia is barely recognizable these days