After speaking with St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols about his career, achievements and why he partnered with Merck for their Playing with Heart initiative, we followed up by spending a day at Yankee Stadium to listen to a press conferenece with Chris Regent, who is the CV and Metabolic for Merck, as well as HOF Leader World Champion, 6X All Star Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia who also got his number No 52 retired that weekend as well. He was also joined by Yankee Manager, Aaron Boone.
Together, they talked about the importance of heart health, staying on top of your health, and their heart journeys. From CC’s stent to Aaron’s pacemaker, and Chris having a number of male relatives who passed away from heart issues. They also talked about Playing with Heart and how the MLB is assisting in this effort.
CHRIS REGENT: Good afternoon, everyone. It is great to be here with you. On behalf of Merck, I’m Christopher Regent. I lead CV and metabolic in the US. And I’m joined here by the Skipper, of course, from the Yankees, Aaron Boone. And, of course, the great Hall of Famer, C.C. Sabathia. And, you know, we’re all here today to talk about something that is very important. We’re here in National Cholesterol Education Month. Okay? I want to talk a little bit about what cholesterol is. And I want to talk about the bad stuff. which is called LDL. And LDL, you may or may not know, runs through the blood. It could be in your blood. And if it’s high, if it’s high, and there’s too much in the blood, it’s this fatty kind of sticky stuff. And it will build up on the wall of the artery. And what could happen is it could break off. It could clog the artery. And if it does, then you could have a heart attack. Heart attacks and strokes are the leading cause of death in the U.S. More people die from them than anything else in the U.S. And high LDL bad cholesterol is a major risk factor. Okay, so that’s important for us all to know. Now, why are we all here today?
We’re here today because Merck has partnered with 9 teams, clubs, from MLB with the Skipper here, with CC. We’ve come together and we have with this program called Playing With Heart. Playing With Heart is about how do we raise awareness? How do we educate?
I need all of your help for this. How do we make people aware of what the leading cause of death is and what they need to do? And what they need to do... is they need to understand what this bad cholesterol LDL is. They need to talk to their doctor. They need to go in and ask about it. They need to know the number they have. Very important. And if it’s high, they need to do something about it with the doctor. And the doctor can figure out the plan that’s right for them.
Why am I here? What motivates me? So, you know, many years ago, I’d say close to 50, I was a young boy, and I grew up with the Yankees. Right? And, you know, back then it was Reggie, Willie, Thurman, all of those guys. Phil Rizzuto on the TV. And I grew up with them, and, you know, I love the team. And my love for the game had started back then. And I looked at the players and I said, boy, you know, they’re all in great shape. I would love to be like them. So I started to play the game. I tried to eat right. I worked out. And through the years, what I found was that, you know, I did all of that. And I felt like I looked good on the outside, but on the inside, I was not so good because this LDL was starting to rise. It was starting to rise. And one day my doctor came to me and said, look, Chris, you need to do something. You need to get on a plan to reduce it. So I did at that point in time. And I realized that, you know, it’s not just me. It’s many people out there. It’s why the leading cause of death is there because you may look good on the outside, but it’s kind of silent what is happening on the inside. And you need the blood test, you need the LDL check, you need to talk to your doctor. So that’s kind of the way I look at it. That’s the story that I have. That’s why I’m here.
Next I want to turn things over to the skipper here just to, you know, tell your story. Talk a little bit about why MLB, why the Yankees, baseball.
AARON BOONE: I’m glad to be here. I think one thing that stands out is I think you guys have done a great job, and Mark Loretta (San Diego Padres) has done a great job, of getting out a simple message. I watch MLB Network all the time, so I’ve seen all of CC’s commercials and Jimmy Rollins’ (Philadelphia Phillies) commercials, and it really is simple. Like you said, this is a silent killer that can lay dormant that you can feel totally fine. But it’s so critical to know your number. I mean, you know, there’s obviously cancer and there’s many diseases out there. But as he said, you know, heart attack and stroke are the number one killer. And this is something that can lay dormant in you as far as how you feel. And that’s why it’s so important that you know your LDL-C number. You know, with your doctor, playingwithheart.com where you can go and get information about this. And this is something that you can stay on top of and be on top of and really be a life changer for you. So I know CC’s had a very real scary situation with cholesterol.
My heart journey is a little bit different in that I was born with a condition where I had open heart surgery in 2009. I have a pacemaker now that I got put in several years ago, not related to high cholesterol. I understand the importance of knowing this number and making sure that it’s at the right level. And you can have a lot of control in that. And your doctor and getting these tests and knowing what that is goes a long way in you preventing something that you may not even feel that exists right now inside of you.
CR: Thank you. Anything else you want to say? What do you think about what we’re doing with baseball and how it connects in here?
AB: Yeah, I love it. I mean, you know, baseball is Americana and, you know, it’s our national pastime. So I think it’s a great platform to get out. That is so critical. And again, that is something that you can absolutely get out ahead of and take care of and prevent. And this is what we want to do. We want to prevent as many strokes and as many heart attacks as we have. And this is the number one way to do that. And I think the simple message that is going out, again, going back, when I see CC, when I see Jimmy Rollins talk about their personal stories, talking about Charlie Manuel, the Skipper for the Phillies and their World Series team, like those simple messages resonate with me and I’m sure thousands of baseball fans out there that tune in and see those commercials And this is something that we can all be on top of and and should be!
CR: All right CC. So let’s hear a little bit about your story here. You have a very real one I think it’s very powerful. It’s very touching, but we’d love to hear from you.
CC SABATHIA: Yeah, so I’m here with Merck and playingwithheart.com because 2018 November I had a heart scare. More than a heart scare, I had a stint put in. But November 2018, me and my wife were in California, and I wake up in the middle of the night, and I started throwing up. And I looked at her, and I yelled at her, and I was like, “babe, I’m having a heart attack. I can just feel it.” I felt like something wasn’t right. But it kind of went away. Like, it subsided, went away. And then for two months, the next eight weeks, I was trying to figure out what was going on. I would get these little mini attacks. I was going to the doctor, but my symptoms weren’t normal of heart failure, which was like tingling down the arm or some of these other symptoms. Mine was, I was throwing up allof the time. So we thought it was something wrong with my stomach. I’m trying to figure out.
I was actually coming down here to the stadium. I was working out here with Stevie at the time. And there was one day I came down here. um and Stevie just looked at me he was like, “you don’t look right.” This was the beginning of January. I had still been dealing with sleepless nights by this time, sitting up on my couch, I couldn’t even lay down. Stevie goes, “you need to go to the doctor right away.” I went over to the hospital. They gave me a stress test. I couldn’t even give them 30 seconds of the stress test and they brought me into the operating room and put the stint in. Had I not known or not been on top of anything, I could have passed away at 38 years old from a massive heart. I think it is important for me to share my story, to be here, and talk about this with people so that they can understand.
You could be out pitching. You could be at the top of your game. I was pitching. And even when I pitched, there would be times when I would go out and throw in the bullpen before the game, and I’d have to come in. I would have to come in and sit down. I’d have to kind of undress and reset my whole self to get a second wind and I had no idea. I was like 90% blocked in my widow maker! I’m out here pitching and I could have passed out on the mound. So it’s important for people to understand their number and really check in with their doctor and understand what’s going on!
CR: Thank you so much for sharing all of that! It’s a very real thing. It happens a lot. That’s why there’s so many deaths. The important thing is we don’t wait until we get to that point. As you said, talk to your doctor about these things. Know what your number is for LDL. See if it’s in the right place. The doctor can determine what the right goal should be. But you see if you’re in the right place and you do the best you can, I’d like to say from a proactive standpoint - instead of waiting until we get there because again the scary thing is - this is silent until it’s not. You know, every man in my family has passed away from a heart attack except for my dad. He has a stint. I’m trying my best not to! It’s real, and I appreciate all of you here today to hear the stories.
AB: Hearing CC talk about November, I mean, I remember that very well. It was after my first year of managing, so I remember him coming in. I remember Stevie telling me. I remember going in and getting the stint in and how scary the moment was, but also how fortunate we were. That, man, we found this and that he was going to be okay. But I remember that. I remember hearing about the story of him being in California and having that feeling and what was going on. So thankful that he was able to get to the bottom of it.
CCS: But that’s a reality for so many people out there. And you can get out in front of this and it’s important that you do. The men in my family, we do suffer from heart disease. So I’m trying to do the best that I can. I have a stint, but I’m doing the best that I can to change my diet and make sure that I’m here as long as possible!
CR: You look great! I mean, he could pitch again I think! Aaron what do you think? Is he gonna pitch again?
CCS: Looks can be deceiving!
AB: Yeah, so I just want to say, you know, the key place that folks should go is playingwithheart.com. We have a lot of information there for them to start. And, you know, they really need to research this, to educate themselves, to talk to the doctor, to be empowered about it!
MEDIA POOL: CC, before your stint, had doctors told you about your LDL and where you were at for a certain amount of time? Since you felt fine, did you kind of just think you’d get to it later? Was that your situation?
CCS: You know, we have physicals every year in Spring Training and I would always have to go and get an extra EKG, but I never looked into why I had to go. I would get my EKG at the stadium and they were like, “oh, you got to go over here to the doctor. We got to just make sure everything is fine.” So, I had that going on. I knew I had high blood pressure for a long time and ignored that. I think that helps contribute to the heart disease. As far as knowing what was going on with the LDL, I didn’t. But I did ignore EKGs, didn’t follow up, and the high blood pressure – these things had been going on for a long time.
MP: Is that kind of easy to do when you’re feeling mostly fine?
CCS: When you’re in your 30s and you’re pitching for the Yankees, yeah, it is. It’s really easy to do for the longest time. I was just telling somebody over here, I put so much salt on my food for the longest time. All these different things that I knew was bad for me, but guess what? I’m out here like every fifth day pitching, so I got to be okay, right? In my mind, that’s what I’m thinking, and, you know, I’m slowly killing myself, you know, throughout my 30s.
MP: CC and Aaron, you guys had different cardio journeys. I’m just curious, what are some of the biggest adjustments you guys have made as, you’ve learned more?
AB: I mean, for me, it’s just obviously diets. You know, a very important part of it. Making sure you’re picking your spots to have your sweets and things like that. Exercise, obviously, is very important. I’m 53 now, so, you know, you get in your 50s, you know, you feel a lot more and do things that are going to prolong your life and allow you to be here for your family as long as possible. So, I think just taking responsible steps whether that’s diet, sleep, excercise, all those things. Like, you know, for me right now, it’s a busy time of year, obviously, but prioritizing, like, getting in there and making sure I’m walking and lifting weights and doing those kind of things is also very important.
CCS: Yeah, the biggest thing for me was diet, changing my diet. Now it’s like straight Mediterranean diet. You know, I feel good. I’ve lost a bunch of weight. I know I always lifted, but now I can do it at my rate, kind of my terms. I have a better routine. I’m in bed by 9:30pm most nights. I don’t have the stress that this guy has every night. So I think getting out of the baseball life is really, really huge for me and being able to set a routine and kind of live a normal life.
MP: Fans are accustomed to hearing you guys talking about performance and recovery. Do you think as athletes, there’s an opportunity and maybe even a responsibility for you guys to normalize more of these conversations about heart health, long-term wellness in the organization?
CCS: I do for sure. I mean, especially in my situation, I think, anybody that knows me knows that. Anything I’ve been through, I talk about it publicly, whether it’s alcohol dependency, my heart, anything that I have going on, I want people to know that I’m going through the same things that some other people are going through, and maybe my story can help.
MP: Talk about some of the women in your life and how you talk to them about their heart health. I know you’ve partnered with Women Heart, and I know women present very different symptoms when they are having heart attacks in particular. But talk about the conversations that you have with some of the women in your life as well.
CR: Okay, and I just want to introduce Celina Gorre. She’s in the back. She’s the CEO of Women Heart, and she’s been a great partner with us as well along the way. I think women, it’s very interesting when you take a look at what happens. You know, I’ve heard so many stories of a woman presents in the hospital with chest pain, and potentially they’re sent home, you know, because there’s this belief that... Well, because they’re women and the hormones, they’re protected to some extent.
But you know what? When someone shows up like that, it could be this, and it needs to be looked at. So I think a lot of the data shows that they’re undertreated to a certain extent, and I think more needs to be done about that. I think having Women Heart is very, very important.
I think the partner, the spouse, the person in the house is also important. I know for CC, your wife has been very important as part of this as well in the discussions that you’ve had.
CCS: Yeah, for sure. I mean, my wife, we talk about it and I’m open about how I feel, symptoms. I’ve had a lot of these conversations lately with my mom, my mother-in-law, my wife, aunts that are older now. It’s like, man, first of all, Cholesterol, knowing your number is crucial. You want to know that because you can prevent a lot of unforeseen things or things you’re not even feeling. But the importance of moving, like getting out and moving, especially here in the Northeast when it gets January and February, move. You need to move. You need to exercise. You need to know what you’re eating and be responsible with what you’re eating. You need to sleep. Those are eating, sleep, and exercise are, to me, the three critical pillars of not only how you feel during the week, but your long-term health as well.
MP: CC, you mentioned putting a lot of salt on your food when you were younger, thinking that you’re indestructible. How do you reach the younger generation of athletes?
CCS: Yeah, this generation athletes are not like my generation athletes. They are very in tune with their bodies. There’s no candy in the lockeroom right now. It’s a completely different clubhouse than what I came up in in the early 2000s. Even just thinking about my son, my 23-year-old, the way he’s in rookie ball and the way that he’s in tune with his body is incredible. It’s something that I wish I had as a young player. You know what I mean? But yeah, I mean, these guys don’t. They are locked in! I mean there’s nobody in that clubhouse that looked like I did when I played so they’re doing pretty good in there!
MP: So if you have an issue with LDL at least in the medical community has been full known and many times pushed their patient visits etc but do you think there’s a communication issue in terms of communicating the importance of that more broadly and how should that change? I know that that’s one of the efforts that we’re trying to do right now?
CR: Yeah, I think when we look across the U.S. at this point in time, there’s a lot of things that, let’s say, when you go into the primary care physician that they’re looking at. There’s blood pressure, there’s diabetes, there’s all these things they’re trying to look at. And I think more attention can be put on LDL. It is the leading cause of death. It’s a risk factor for the leading cause of death in the U.S. So I think as we look across how it’s being treated and looked at, as we look across the people in the U.S., what can we do? How can we be more educated about it? How can we be more empowered about it? That’s another important part of it. So I think... I’m not blaming anyone. What I’m saying is that I think everyone can do a part here. And that’s the importance of the partnerships that we have across 9 or 10 teams with Major League Baseball, with the legends of the game here that have come together to help us with Women Heart.
It’s going to take a village to just raise awareness of what we’re trying to do and to change the curve of what’s happening. In today’s world, we shouldn’t be sitting there saying, well, you know, Chris just died of a heart attack. What we should be saying is, well, what should Chris have done, right? And I think more of us could, you know, start to think that way. And you all have an important role here to spread the word on this, raise the awareness on this.
AB: Yeah, I mean, my heart situation, again, I had open heart surgery in 09, unrelated to high cholesterol or LDL-C. Honestly and even up until CC - it was an eye opener for me in that regard. And then now this campaign has even kind of crystallized it more of like, oh, this is something that we can all simply get out in front of, frankly. And so that’s why this has been cool for me to be a part of.
MP: Seems like this is affecting all areas of life. Obviously, Boone, you said you had a condition when you were younger, but CC, growing up watching you throw the ball, I would have thought you were thriving on the mound. So how soon would someone be getting checked out for this? Could it be when you’re young?
CR: Yeah, I think, you know, as I think about it, and there’s probably folks that could talk a little better about that than me, but as you’re younger, I think you get a blood test, and the HCP, the physician, could take a look at it. And there’s some conditions where it’s very high, and it runs in the family. So it should be looked at when you’re younger. because then you can determine if it is real high and it needs to be. But I think, you know, a person should be checked at some time as they’re growing up, see where it is, and then, you know, the doctor determines how they’re checked as they go through life, right? But each year, we should get a blood test and see.
AB: I mean for me it’s a perspective thing you know the season is filled with so many quote-unquote stressful moments highs lows and you know a lot of times it’s in those highs and in those lows that I have some of the best perspective that, you know, there is a, you do have to separate a little bit and you have to have that ability if you’re going to, you know, stay in this game or thrive, you know, from a family standpoint or from a health standpoint.
So it’s kind of a non-negotiable for me. Like there’s days that I’m going to go home and as best I can leave it here. I think I do a pretty good job of that. But there’s things throughout the season when things are going as good as possible and you think, oh, this is all great. I try to have perspective in those moments. And the same when it’s really rough, you’ve got to be able to get away and understand that this is our livelihood. We pour so much into this every single day, all year long. But at the end of the day, it’s also a game. And try and keep that perspective as much as I can as you go through the season.
CCS: I didn’t have the luxury of seeing it that way. I was in it all the time. So everything I thought about was winning every single time, all the time, the whole time I played for 25 years. I could be on vacation to Hawaii in the middle of December, and I know at some point in the middle of the summer, I’m at the picture of a big game against Boston and Fenway. There was no stress relief ever for me. So it was just a part of the job. You know what I mean? It was just the nature of the beast. That’s what kept me good for so long is that waking up in the middle of the night in the middle of December, like, oh, I got to get ready to pitch against Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers) or whoever else is out there. That was always in the front of my mind. So now that I don’t play baseball, it’s a lot better now.
Our day at Yankee Stadium after this informative press conference also included private tours of the Yankee Museum, Memorial Park, finding out various facts about the stadium, attending batting practice, and of course catching a thrilling game against the Tampa Bay Rays!
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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Paul Farkas shot with SONY
Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see KNOW YOUR NUMBERS PLAYING WITH HEART in mag.
