Yankees’ CC Sabathia: Bring on the Red Sox!

Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia reacts to manager Aaron Boone making sure he gets the ball against the Red Sox on Thursday.

NEW YORK — The Yankees made special arrangements to make sure CC Sabathia would pitch against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, the start of a crucial four-game series.

And that’s exactly how the 37-year-old lefty wanted it.

The first-place Red Sox lead the Yankees by a game in the AL East

“You always want to pitch in the biggest games,” Sabathia said Thursday. “To date, this is going to be our biggest series. So, yeah, it feels good to get the ball.”

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Sabathia was speaking before his PitCChIn Foundation‘s celebrity softball game at Yankee Stadium. The event raised about $1 million, according to a spokesman, to be used for programs benefitting inner city youth.

Sabathia had been slated to start Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia.

But manager Aaron Boone pushed the 17-year veteran to Thursday and started Luis Cessa in his place. The Yankees fell to the Phillies, 3-0, and Cessa took the loss.

“We’ve been playing pretty good baseball,” Sabathia said. “We’re just going to go out and have a good series. Obviously, it’s a huge series. Two of the better teams in baseball all year. It’s always going to be a big game when we play these guys now. Especially with the way the rosters are set up.”

Early in the season, Sabathia said if the Yankees win the World Series this year, he’ll probably retire. Does that mean he plans to soak up some of the sights and sounds against the Red Sox on Thursday?

“I hadn’t thought about that,” he said. “Not really. No, I’m just kind of taking it one game at a time, and really one start at a time and seeing how I feel and making that decision at the end of the year, if we do win.”

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.