DETROIT — As C. C. Sabathia stood on the mound, the wind whipping his oversize uniform as if it were a Christo installation, he nevertheless displayed the unflappable countenance of his earlier years as a Yankee, before his knee began to disintegrate and his fastball began to desert him.
Two uninspiring starts to begin the season gave way to a markedly better performance on Monday, one that left the Yankees encouraged but without a victory, as they lost to the Detroit Tigers, 2-1.
Sabathia, relying on a 90-mile-per-hour fastball, a changeup and a veteran’s guile, kept the big-hitting Tigers in check with several big assists from his defense, but the margin for error proved to be too slim.