New York Yankees' CC Sabathia earns milestone 250th career win

June 19 (UPI) -- New York Yankees veteran starting pitcher CC Sabathia, pitching in his final season in the majors, recorded his 250th career win Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sabathia, who previously became the 17th pitcher in MLB history to register 3,000 strikeouts, joined elite company as the 48th pitcher in league history to record 250 career wins. He was the 14th pitcher to accomplish both of those milestones.

"It's crazy to put my name up there with some of those guys that I idolize, and some of those names that are enshrined in baseball history," Sabathia told reporters. "To be part of that, it's a big deal. It's fun to have those numbers."

Sabathia recorded his 250th win after tossing six innings of three-hit, one-run ball in a 12-1 win against the Rays. The southpaw out-dueled reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, who was chased in the first inning.

Sabathia had seven strikeouts against the Rays as the Yankees locked up a series sweep, extending their American League East lead to 3 1/2 games over second-place Tampa Bay.

"That's a great lineup, a great team," Sabathia said of the Rays. "I'm still focused on trying to get the team back in the dugout to score more runs. Let's have a quick inning, and get back in the dugout and try to put some more pressure on their pitchers.

"Just another win for us, a sweep against a very good team. We wanted to keep it rolling."

Sabathia has a 4-4 record with a 4.14 ERA in his first 12 starts of this season. The veteran pitcher announced in February that he would retire after the 2019 campaign.