Did Sabathia deserve a no-hitter? Not quite, but close

Milwaukee ace CC Sabathia came oh-so-close to a no-hitter on Sunday, broken up by an unorthodox way - by a minor miscue by the pitcher himself.

Sabathia shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the only hit allowed was an infield single by Andy LaRoche.

Check out the video here: From MLB.com.

The official interpretation from Bob Webb, the scorer in Pittsburgh on Sunday, to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"The play came off the bat, it was a spinning ball, to the right of a left-handed pitcher. In my opinion, it's not an ordinary play to make. It was difficult both because of the spin and because he has to make the play and turn completely around.

"The runner was well down the line. It would have been a really difficult play to make to get him. The standard for a hit or an error is an ordinary effort. In my view, it was a hit as a result of that standard."

"I called it immediately, believed it was a hit. I think that's a hit in every circumstance."

I agree - it's a hit all the way. The Brewers are appealing to the league, but this shouldn't be reversed.

Sabathia improved to 9-0 since his trade from Cleveland to Milwaukee, and opening up the question: A year after winning the Cy Young in the AL, should he win it this year in the NL?

Brandon Webb is one win from 20 on another playoff-bound team, but combined between Cleveland and Milwaukee this season, Sabathia is 15-8 with an ERA below 3. You throw out his first couple of starts with Cleveland, when he struggled, and he's been the best pitcher in either league this season, with the possible exception of his former Indians teammate, Cliff Lee.

There is precedent: Rick Sutcliffe, traded from Cleveland to the Cubs in June 1984, went 16-1 in 20 starts with Chicago and won the award. Sabathia's season is feeling a lot like that.

And with Sabathia's stock this high, how much money are the Yankees going to throw at him this winter? Prediction: You can start at $22 million per season.