NEW YORK — CC Sabathia walked into manager Joe Girardi’s office in Baltimore on Sunday and made a stunning admission: He has an alcohol problem.

“The first thing he said is, `I need help,”’ Girardi said Monday during a workout at Yankee Stadium for the AL wild-card game. “I was shocked.”

Sabathia surprised many in the Yankees organization by revealing his problem. And with the team’s help, the burly left-hander is checking into a rehab center and will miss the postseason, a setback to the pitching staff the day before New York meets Houston in the AL wild-card game.

The team issued a statement Monday from the 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, who said he took the step to receive the care he needs and become the kind of person “I can be proud of.”

A leader in the clubhouse, Sabathia received the unconditional support of his teammates.

“We play for CC now,” Alex Rodriguez said.