The votes have been released, and the New York Yankees will have another representative in the Baseball Hall of Fame as left-handed ace CC Sabathia crosses the threshold needed for election. One of the all-time great southpaws, Sabathia has a slew of awards and honors, he will be immortalized alongside some of the greatest players ever to grace the baseball diamond. Across 3,577.1 innings in the big leagues, CC Sabathia recorded a 3.74 ERA and 3.78 FIP, striking out 3,093 batters and accumulating 66.5 fWAR.
A six-time All-Star with five finishes in the top-five for the Cy Young Award and a first-place finish in 2007, Sabathia’s success elevates his postseason success, with an ALCS MVP and World Series ring to show for it. At the 2024 Fanatics FanFest, he said he would represent the Yankees and wear their cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.
CC Sabathia Elected To Hall Of Fame, Will Represent the Yankees
CC Sabathia can add “Hall of Famer” to his illustrious resume, as the left-hander is a member of the 3,000 strikeouts club, a Cy Young Winner, a World Series Champion, and a Black Ace as well. His accomplishments are numerous, and his impact on the field cannot be understated, as he anchored the top of the rotation for the Guardians, Brewers, and Yankees across his MLB career.
During his peak from 2006-2012, Sabathia was second in WAR (40) while posting a 3.14 ERA and striking out 1,453 batters, as he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball over that seven-year run. This includes his Cy Young season in 2007, the dominant second half he posted with the Brewers in 2008 when he led them to the postseason, and his debut year with the Yankees in 2009 where he posted a 1.98 ERA in five starts, helping them capture a World Series title.
He’ll retire as one of the best left-handed pitchers ever, being one of just three southpaws with 3,000 strikeouts while being 11th in fWAR. While CC Sabathia’s blazing fastball and wipeout secondary pitches will catch your eye on any highlight reel, perhaps his greatest quality was his competitive fire and the way he would battle for whichever team he played on.
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In 2008, CC Sabathia was an impending free agent who was set to get a historic contract in the offseason, but he put it all on the line for the Brewers, a small-market team with virtually no chance to retain him after the season. He recorded four consecutive starts on short rest in September, pitching to a 1.88 ERA and striking out 26 batters across 28.2 innings to help the Brew Crew make the postseason. He knew what was on the line when he took the mound, and yet he put winning above all else.
Just a year later, the 2009 Yankees struggled to flesh out their rotation, and when presented with the idea of a three-man rotation, requiring guys to pitch on short rest in the ALCS and World Series, CC Sabathia once again was dynamite. He won ALCS MVP and was dominant en route to the Yankees’ 27th championship, cementing himself as a hero in the Bronx. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the dominant lefty, however, as he struggled from 2013-2015 and checked into rehab after publicly admitting to an alcohol addiction.
It was another battle that Sabathia would overcome, and from 2016-2018, he would post a 3.76 ERA across 86 starts, anchoring the middle of the rotation for an emerging Yankees team. He was a fearless leader in the clubhouse and a universally respected veteran, risking a bonus to plunk Jake Bauers when facing the Rays as they had hit Austin Romine earlier in the game. He led not just by his marvelous work on the mound, but by his outstanding character off the field as well.
What CC Sabathia meant to the cities of Cleveland, Milwaukee, and New York cannot be understated; he was the heart and soul of whichever rotation he was on. The fire he played with, the dominance he displayed, and the things he stood for will leave a lasting impact on baseball for a long time. He’s one of three black pitchers to reach the 3,000-strikeout plateau, he has the most innings thrown this century, and now, he is a Hall of Famer.