NEW YORK -- A day after his team was rocked by the news that C.C. Sabathia was checking himself into rehab and checking out of the playoffs, Alex Rodriguez told reporters that the New York Yankees' postseason would be dedicated to their beloved teammate.
"We play for C.C. now," Rodriguez said.
They played for him for one day. Emotion was not enough Tuesday night against a young, hungry Houston Astros team that had Dallas Keuchel's pitching and the Yankees' number.
Sabathia's jarring departure to treat a problem with alcohol had little, if anything, to do with the Yankees' 3-0 loss. Keuchel took care of that. But the loss was like an earthquake whose aftershocks will continue to be felt.
It didn't matter that the Yankees were a veteran team. When your well-liked ace suddenly becomes unavailable, the absence throws off the equilibrium.
"When you walk into the clubhouse and you don't see him, that's kind of strange because he's been there and he's been there for a long time," Manager Joe Girardi said before the game. "It's impossible not to think about someone you consider one of your brothers or sons during a time like this."
Across town, in Queens, another high-profile New York pitcher, Matt Harvey, was also temporarily unavailable. Harvey, 26, was a no-show for a mandatory workout Tuesday that began the New York Mets' playoff journey, although he showed up later. His excuse was not clear.
You can argue that it was just a workout, no big deal. But things like that add up, especially for a pitcher who has had a public spat with the team about an innings limit to preserve his surgically repaired arm. Harvey, who has had a prickly relationship with the media, does not seem to understand the effect his behavior -- even his mere presence -- has on his team.
Sabathia understood the effect his absence would have on the Yankees, but his statement to fans and teammates seemed heartfelt and it reflected a humility that Harvey has yet to exhibit.
Sabathia, 35, has built a substantial reservoir of goodwill. Off the field, he has been a great teammate. On the field, where he has been a workhorse, Sabathia has delivered. He won a Cy Young Award in 2007, and two years later he joined the Yankees and propelled them to a World Series title. Sabathia is 214-129 in 15 seasons, and he pitched this season on a surgically repaired right knee.
When you achieve what he has you can skip workouts and be difficult with the media. On the other hand, when you accomplish all that he has, you probably have no reason to be difficult. And Sabathia's final act this season as a Yankees starter was to beat Boston, a victory that clinched the Yankees' return to the postseason.
Sabathia has a lifelong struggle ahead; Harvey simply has to adjust his attitude. But Harvey can learn something from his fellow pitcher, too. He should pay attention to the parts of Sabathia's statement in which he talked about not wanting to "run and hide," and when he said: "Being an adult means being accountable. Being a baseball player means that others look up to you."
Now that the Yankees are gone, the city's stage belongs to the Mets -- and to Harvey, who will start Game 3 at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers next week. That will be where he begins to earn his stripes.
The Yankees' most recent championship era is emphatically over. Even though they returned to the playoffs this year after a two-season absence, they were immediately eliminated by a fire-breathing Houston team. The Yankees do not intimidate anyone at the moment.
Still, the one attribute they have that other teams do not is a sense of inevitability. Most franchises, including the Mets, hope to reach the World Series now and then. The Yankees have made the goal of winning it a birthright. They expect to be there all the time.
"Our stated goal is always to win a World Series," General Manager Brian Cashman said in traditional Yankees fashion. The Yankees had just looked feeble in being ousted in a one-game playoff, but Cashman was still talking about championships late Tuesday night.
The Yankees haven't been to a World Series since their victory in 2009. It is not the first championship drought in their history, and it won't be the last, but at some point they will probably come roaring back. Cashman, who presided over much of the current championship era, may not be around to see the next run, but there will be another.
As Yogi Berra might have said about the Yankees' long-term future: It's not over.
It's never over.
Sports on 10/08/2015