Sabathia’s Milwaukee magic continues with one-hitter
Summertime has a way of delivering milestone moments for CC Sabathia.
In July 2025, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Seventeen summers earlier in 2008, the former Cleveland ace was turning a midseason trade to Milwaukee into what he has called the “best two-month stretch” of his 19-season tenure – completed by the Brewers’ first playoff berth since 1982 and one of the best outings of his career.
On Aug. 31, 2008, Sabathia toed the rubber for his 11th start under the Milwaukee banner, having arrived in the city about eight weeks earlier. The three-time All-Star, on the heels of a Cy Young Award in 2007, used his first 10 starts to post a 1.59 ERA, secure nine wins and revive hopes that Milwaukee could taste postseason baseball in the 21st century.
The lefty would inch the Brewers one step closer to October when he tossed a one-hit shutout against division rival Pittsburgh, helping author a 7-0 Milwaukee win and the closest brush with a no-hitter in his career.
Sabathia’s day began in the bottom of the first, primed by a leadoff home run from Milwaukee second baseman Rickie Weeks that put the Brewers up 1-0. Sabathia began by issuing a walk to Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, but his infield would preserve his clean slate early on, turning a grounder by second baseman Freddy Sánchez into a double play. Sabathia retired the side by recording his first strikeout of the day against center fielder Nate McLouth.
The southpaw would notch an additional five strikeouts and continue his hitless showing before a hotly contested play in the bottom of the fifth. Previously struck out by Sabathia, Pirates’ third baseman Andy LaRoche returned to the plate, placing a ground ball in front of the mound that was barehanded – and dropped – by the pitcher.
For Pirates fans, LaRoche’s dribbler spared Pittsburgh from what was shaping up to be the club’s first no-hit game since a 1971 contest against the Cardinals.
For the Milwaukee dugout, the hit put a questionable asterisk on a historic outing.
“Twenty-nine out of 30 scorekeepers would have called that an error,” Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a sentiment echoed by club manager Ned Yost. “If you know baseball at all, you know that’s a play that has to be made and is made all the time. He rushed it. That’s a stinkin’ no-hitter that we all got cheated out of.”
But for Sabathia, LaRoche’s single became a lesson en route to his dominant, 11-strikeout finish.
“It is what it is,” he said. “Just looking at the replay, I think I would’ve had him. If I’d have gloved that ball, everything would have been fine.”
After a flyball and a pair of groundouts ended the frame, the Brewers would break the game open in the seventh and eighth innings, adding six to their run total and securing a 7-0 win.
The lone one-hitter of Sabathia’s career marked his sixth of a NL-high seven complete games for the Brewers in 2008 and his third shutout for the club as he powered them to an NLDS appearance.
His stint in Wisconsin ended after the 2008 season, when he joined the Yankees as a free agent, where he would retire in 2019.
Abbey Dempsey was the 2026 communications intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development
