Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia announced he is checking himself into an alcohol rehab center.

The team released the shocking statement Monday, one day before the Yankees start their postseason against the Astros in the wild-card game.

“I love baseball and I love my teammates like brothers, and I am also fully aware that I am leaving at a time when we should all be coming together for one last push toward the World Series,” Sabathia said. “It hurts me deeply to do this now, but I owe it to myself and to my family to get myself right. I want to take control of my disease, and I want to be a better man, father and player.

“I want to thank the New York Yankees organization for their encouragement and understanding. Their support gives me great strength and has allowed me to move forward with this decision with a clear mind.”

Sabathia informed general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi on Sunday of his plan to begin treatment. He is believed to be in a rehab facility in Connecticut.

At a Yankee Stadium press conference Monday, Cashman said he previously was unaware of Sabathia’s condition and he was “surprised by the phone call yesterday.” Girardi said he was “shocked.” He wouldn’t comment on whether there was a specific incident that precipitated Sabathia entering rehab, though he noted: “If something happened when somebody was away from the park, typically it gets videotaped or reported and that hasn’t happened.”

“I think CC’s demonstrated a great deal of courage in trying to tackle this problem,” Cashman said. “Time and place have no bearing. There is something here that needs to be taken care of, and I applaud him for stepping up and doing everything necessary to solve this problem for himself as he moves forward.”

Sabathia is well thought of in the game and his decision sent shockwaves through the baseball community. The hefty lefty made news earlier in the season when he had to be restrained in an early-morning melee outside a Toronto nightclub. Sabathia said at the time that the heckler “caught him at a bad time.”

At the time, Sabathia defended his lifestyle and said the most difficult part of the situation was explaining the headlines to his 12-year-old son.

“That’s the toughest part: ‘Dad had a bad night. Made a bad decision. Sometimes these things happen,’ ” Sabathia said.

In a separate incident this summer, Sabathia was photographed smoking on a hotel balcony, but said it was a cigar and refused to pay off the shutterbug.

“As difficult as this decision is to share publicly, I don’t want to run and hide. But for now please respect my family’s need for privacy as we work through this challenge together,” said Sabathia, who has four children with his wife, Amber.

“Being an adult means being accountable. Being a baseball player means that others look up to you. I want my kids — and others who may have become fans of mine over the years — to know that I am not too big of a man to ask for help. I want to hold my head up high, have a full heart and be the type of person again that I can be proud of. And that’s exactly what I am going to do. I am looking forward to being out on the field with my team next season playing the game that brings me so much happiness.”

The Yankees were mulling using Sabathia out of the bullpen against Houston, and the veteran was going to be in the team’s rotation if it advanced to the ALDS against the Royals. Sabathia had rebounded from an awful start, and was the starter for the Yankees’ wild-card-clinching victory against the Red Sox last week.

Cashman said no one considered proposing Sabathia wait until after the postseason to leave the team.

“When someone comes to you with the issue that he came to us with and said that he needs to get help and he needs it immediately, that’s the only focus,” Cashman said.

“He’s carried this franchise on his back in the past and led us to places we wanted to go, but now he’s raised his hand and said, ‘I need someone to help and guide me through some circumstances that are really tough.’ We’re certainly willing to everything we possibly can to assist.”

The 35-year-old is scheduled to make $25 million next season and has a $25 million vesting option for 2017.