CC Sabathia is one of the greatest left-handed starters in baseball history, and he played a pivotal role in the Yankees taking home their most recent World Series back in 2009. Eligible for the Hall of Fame Ballot this upcoming January, it’s expected that the six-time All-Star will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, especially considering the fact that he reached the 3,000-strikeout plateau and took home a Cy Young with Cleveland back in 2007. With such a storied career with multiple franchises, there’s some speculation about which cap he’ll don on his Hall of Fame plaque if he were to make it.
At the first-ever Fanatics Fest event, CC Sabathia confirmed that he will be donning the interlocking NY when immortalized in Cooperstown.
CC Sabathia To Don a Yankees Hat on Hall of Fame Plaque
It would be shocking if CC Sabathia wasn’t induced into the Hall of Fame this January given his statistical production and hardware. If you’re more into traditional benchmarks, the southpaw has over 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, and if you’re more into analytical benchmarks he has over 60 WAR and holds a career 116 ERA+, an excellent reflection of his strong per rate production and elite-level volume.
The shift in philosophy from having starters pitch over 200 innings to hoping you get around 180 has come with an increased emphasis on stuff and velocity, a trend that has made hitting harder than ever before. Sabathia will be looked back on as one of the last bulldogs of the 21st Century, racking up at least 200 innings in eight different seasons. When asked about who he would represent if enshrined in Cooperstown, CC Sabathia made it clear that he would represent the Yankees.
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CC Sabathia inked a massive seven-year, $161 million contract with the New York Yankees ahead of the 2009 season where he was dominant in both the regular season and postseason. Across 34 starts the southpaw posted a 3.37 ERA and struck out over 200 batters before reaching another level in the Yankees’ legendary 2009 run, making five starts and pitching to a sparkling 1.98 ERA.
He would rediscover himself after a tough three-year stretch from 2013-2015, posting the 15th-best qualified ERA for any left-handed starter (3.76) from 2016-2018. Sabathia is a special pitcher who meant a lot to the African-American community as well, being one of just 13 pitchers to join the Black Aces. He’s also one of three Black pitchers to strike out over 3,000 batters, and his story goes beyond just what he accomplished on the field.
What CC Sabathia represented to the game of baseball cannot be confined to what he did with New York, and while he’ll be donning the legendary Yankee cap on his Hall of Fame plaque, all three of the teams he pitched for play a huge role in his career. Whether it was his Cy Young campaign in 2007 with Cleveland or his historic second half with the Brewers in 2008, his impact on baseball has been felt in more places than just Yankee Stadium.
It raises a question about whether the Yankees will retire number 52, as they’ve retired the numbers of players who represent them in the Hall of Fame and even players who weren’t Hall of Famers. The 2009 Yankees hold a special place in the hearts of many fans, serving as the last hoorah for the Core Four and being their most recent World Series Championship.
One of the greatest players and people to ever step foot on a mound, it would be shocking to see CC Sabathia on the ballot again after 2025.