CC Sabathia loves wearing the pinstripes.
After sailing to his 17th win of the season and delivering another superb outing in yesterday’s 10-0 rain-delayed romp over the Mariners, the Yankees ace told The Post that he won’t “even consider” becoming a free agent after 2011, even though that provision exists in his seven-year, $161 million mega-contract.
“I’m here,” Sabathia said. “Hundred percent.”
“I think you know I’ve built a house here, right?” he said. “My kids go to school here. We live here year round. So I’m not going anywhere.”
That is a pretty definitive statement from Sabathia, and good news for the Yankees, who obviously want their magnificent left-hander to stay in The Bronx, where he is 15-0 in his last 20 starts, dating to last year. The 30-year-old, who lives in Bergen County, will have four years and $92 million remaining on his deal from 2012-2015. His overall pact is the richest for a pitcher in MLB history.
Sabathia logged six shutout innings against the Mariners, surrendering only three hits and striking out eight. He might have topped his season high in strikeouts (he had 10 on July 6) had the 57-minute rain delay not cost him a chance to go further.
Regardless, his recent stretch is staggering. In Sabathia’s last 16 starts, he’s 13-2 with a 2.32 ERA. For the season, he is 17-5 — tied for the major league lead in wins with the Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez and the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright — and has a sparkling 3.02 ERA. Sabathia also has set a Yankees mark with at least six innings and no more than three earned runs in 16 straight starts.
“The consistency is unbelievable,” manager Joe Girardi said.
Sabathia was ably abetted by Robinson Cano, who reeled off a monster game at the plate, hitting a grand slam and a two-run single for a career-best six RBIs. Not bad for Alex Rodriguez’s replacement in the cleanup spot.
The Yankees, who are now 12-0 without Rodriguez this year, remained a game up on the Rays in the AL East.
Austin Kearns’ homer in the fourth inning put the Yankees up 1-0. The next inning, they put men on second and third with one out for Mark Teixeira. Seattle starter Luke French intentionally walked him to face Cano, who crushed the first pitch for a mammoth grand slam over the Yankees’ bullpen.
“I kept telling him, ‘Man you’re hitting in the four-hole, you’ll keep coming up with the bases loaded every time,’ ” Nick Swisher said of Cano. “He’s just doing a tremendous job.”
For those keeping count, Teixeira has been intentionally walked 10 times as a Yankee, and batters hitting behind him are 7-for-8 with four grand slams, a walk and a sacrifice fly.
Sabathia is on quite a streak of his own, with no losses in 20 consecutive home starts dating to last year — 15-0 with a 2.17 ERA.
“You can give my wife credit for that, I guess,” Sabathia said. “Her cooking. And just being at home, being around my family and going out and being able to be relaxed.
“It’s just one of those things. I love being home. I love playing in The Bronx. I love being at Yankee Stadium. But just one of those things that worked out like that.”
Additional reporting
by Fred Kerber