Entering his 16th season in major leagues, there were questions surrounding New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia. His knee has been bothering him for the past couple of seasons and has checked himself into a rehab facility for alcoholism to end the 2015 season.

Sabathia was impressive in his spring debut against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. The 35-year-old left-hander threw two hitless innings, allowing only a walk and striking out two batters.

He played well and in command as he threw 16 of his 25 pitches for strikes. His only base runner of the day was Chris Johnson, who walked on a 3-2 pitch in the second inning. However, the Yankees eventually lost to the Marlins 1-0.

"Got some quick outs, quick swings, threw everything, so it felt good. I felt good just to get back out there. It's fun to be competing again, and it went well," Sabathia said.

Right Knee Looks Good

The former AL Cy Young winner has been bothered by a degenerative condition on his right knee for the past two years. He already had two surgeries on that knee and was drained twice last season. Towards the end of the season, Sabathia started using a brace instead of a sleeve to avoid pain in his knee while pitching.

"No problems landing. I think that's why I'm a little ahead of where I was last year in spring training, just because I feel a lot better and my mechanics are where they should be right now. It's just about building on that and trying to keep that going," Sabathia said.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi was impressed with the 35-year-old pitcher, even saying that he looks like his old self. Nevertheless, Girardi did not give a direct answer if Sabathia will be part of New York's starting rotation once the regular season begins in April.

Since wearing a knee brace, the six-time All-Star has registered a 2.17 ERA in five starts to finish the regular season strong. However, he was not included in the Yankees' postseason roster because he entered rehab for his drinking problem.

Opening Up

Sabathia entering a rehab days before the postseason shocked not only his team but the entire baseball world. The timing was very bad since the Yankees had a chance to advance to the ALDS and all the way to the World Series.

In a recent piece for The Players' Tribune, Sabathia opened up about his alcohol addiction and why entering rehab last year was the right time. He wrote, "This isn't anything to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. It's a disease. And there's a support system out there to help you control it."

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