Top Takeaways from CC Sabathia’s HBO Documentary ‘Beneath The Grapefruit Tree’

CC Sabathia‘s storied major league profession had its roots in his grandmother’s California backyard, where he would apply pitching with grapefruits, and within the demolish concluded in 2019 after 19 years, a Cy Younger Award, a World Series championship and six All-Star nods.

But in his HBO documentary, titled Beneath The Grapefruit Tree: The CC Sabathia Fable in a homage to his humble beginnings, Sabathia spoke of the underlying struggles he became once coping with amid all of his success.

“To within the period in-between, I form no longer ponder other folks label how shut I came to shedding the entirety,” he acknowledged within the documentary.

Binge drinking that he acknowledged dated support to the principle time he drank at 14 years extinct followed him one day of the minor leagues when older avid gamers would sneak him drinks within the john.

Later, his drinking led to fights along with his family and teammates, main him and his wife, Amber, to birth couples remedy, and he suffered from apprehension one day of the days after drinking, when he would label the disaster his actions led to. He would pitch on Monday, drink for the next three days after which no longer drink on Friday to put collectively for any other originate on Saturday.

Things came to a head at the cease of the 2015 season, when he became once pictured smoking on a balcony and videotaped getting into into a fight whereas in Toronto. The latter incident became once what pushed him to search lend a hand, though he acknowledged he wasn’t constructive if he had the “courage” to expose any individual he became once combating alcoholism.

He became once “too f–king inebriated” to throw a bullpen session at Camden Yards in Baltimore prior to the closing series of the 2015 season, so he headed home to Unusual York.

He checked into rehab, where he watched his teammates of their first postseason look in three seasons.

While there, Sabathia stumbled on that his struggles were his way of coping with the absence of his father, who shares his title. His other folks divorced when he became once 12 years extinct, and Carsten Sr. died in 2003. He educated Lindsey Adler of The Athletic that his father’s absence “angered” him, and he veteran drinking as one way to suppress his feelings.

He returned to the workers the next season earlier than retiring in 2019. Now, the 40-yr-extinct says he is “at peace” with being “a baseball dad,” observing his son’s video games from the sidelines along with his family, folding chairs, cooler and all.

The film, which debuted Tuesday on HBO and is streaming on HBO Max, is narrated by Sabathia and aspects interviews along with his family, blended with photos produced by a film crew that followed the considerable person one day of 2019, his closing season within the most most most important leagues.

“I may per chance now not be extra grateful for the likelihood to give viewers an inside of scrutinize into my profession and to fragment my unfiltered account,” Sabathia acknowledged. “I struggled for a in actuality very lengthy time with alcohol dependancy and apprehension, which I quite mighty hid from each person I knew. Or no longer it is my hope we can inspire athletes and non-athletes alike to originate up and let their pals, family and teammates know that there may be a route by this. You are no longer alone.”