How many times have you heard this refrain from wanna be professional baseball players, “I would give my right arm to play Major League Baseball.”
C.C. Sabathia’s left arm provided him with 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts over a fabulous 19-year career that officially ended on the mound when he couldn’t physically pitch anymore but ended up with a spot in Cooperstown.
The Class of 2025 was announced Tuesday and Sabathia is one of three, including Ichiro Suzuki and former Mets closer Billy Wagner who were voted in by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
The trio will be joined by Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were voted in by the Classic Baseball Era’s Committee.
Sabathia’s numbers only tell part of the story.
The 6’6” left hander played eight seasons with the Cleveland Indians, a half season with the Milwaukee Brewers and his final 11 seasons with the Yankees, where he was the ace of their last World Series winning team of 2009.
Sabathia, who was a revered teammate and a leader on all those ballclubs, was a six-time All Star and won the AL Cy Young Award in 2007 while playing for Cleveland.
The left hander was scheduled to become a free agent after the 2008 season. Cleveland felt they would not be able to sign him, so he became a valuable trade chip. In July, the Indians traded Sabathia to the Brewers for pitchers Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson (who never pitched a Major League game), first baseman Matt LaPorta and a player to be named later (that PTBL was Michael Brantley who went on to win a World Series with the Astros in 2021).
Milwaukee acquired the southpaw to help them end a 26-year drought without a playoff appearance. Sabathia, who was an impending free agent and, in all likelihood, would not have re-signed with the Brewers, put his personal well being aside and put the team on his back by making his final three starts of the season on three days rest.
Sabathia won his first nine decisions for the Brewers and finished with an 11-2 mark and a 1.65 ERA with seven complete games and three shutouts in 17 starts.
In the final week of the season, Milwaukee was in a dogfight with the Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot.
The teams were tied on the final day when Sabathia took the ball for a third straight start on three days rest.
The Cubs scored an unearned run in the second and that run held up until the seventh when the Brewers tied the game on a bases loaded walk to Craig Counsell.
Sabathia, who was a pretty good hitter when he got the chance, nearly tied the game in the sixth when he just missed a home run that sailed past the right field foul pole, but it was his arm that made this a memorable day in Brewers history.
In the bottom of the eighth, Sabathia was the leadoff batter and Brewers Manager Dale Sveum allowed his pitcher to hit. Sabathia struck out but later in the inning, Ryan Braun hit a two-run home run to give the Brewers a 3-1 lead. Sabathia took the cue and finished the job by setting the Cubs down 1-2-3 in the ninth.
The win gave the Brewers at least a tie for the final NL Wild Card spot but after the Mets lost to the Marlins, Milwaukee celebrated a post season berth.
The Brewers lost the NLDS in four games to the eventual World Champion Phillies, but after the season, Sabathia signed a record setting, seven-year $161 million dollar deal with the Yankees.
Sabathia became the ace of the Yankees staff and led the American League with 19 wins.
In the post season, the left hander made five starts, including game one in the ALDS, ALCS (where he was named MVP) and World Series, and was 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA as he led the Yankees to their 27th and last World Championship.
During his 11-year career with the Yankees, Sabathia posted a 134-88 record with a 3.81 ERA. In 21 post season games with the Yankees, 20 starts, Sabathia posted an 8-4 record with a 3.42 ERA. He is also the last Yankee to pitch a complete game in the post season when he went the distance in the deciding game five of the ALDS vs. Baltimore in 2012.
In 2010, Sabathia won 21 games and joined a prestigious list of African American pitchers who have been 20 game winners. That list has come to be known as the “Black Aces,” which is based on the title of a book that was written in 2007 by former Major League pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant, himself a 20-game winner in 1965.
In December 2018, Sabathia underwent heart surgery and then made the announcement that 2019 would be his final season.
In April, he recorded his 3000th strikeout against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but a knee injury would place him on the injured list three times.
Sabathia would make his final appearance in game 4 of the ALCS against the Astros. He entered the game in the eighth inning and threw 20 pitches, but after going to a 2-1 count on George Springer, Sabathia could not continue as he literally had thrown his arm out.
After leaving the game, Sabathia told the media that it was “kind of fitting. I threw until I couldn’t anymore”. It was later revealed that Sabathia suffered a subluxated left shoulder.
Sabathia was surrounded by family and friends when he got the call from BBWAA Secretary-Treasurer Jack O’Connell.
Afterward, he joined MLB Network and was thrilled to not just go in, but to get elected on the first ballot.
“It means everything to me. Just even to go in the Hall of Fame in general, you know is a big honor, but to go in first ballot, I know what that means as a baseball player and it’s super exciting.”
A number of Yankees hierarchy and former teammates issued statements congratulating Sabathia.
Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner said about Sabathia, “Throughout his time in pinstripes, he embodied the best of what it means to be a Yankee.”
Yankees Senior Vice-President and General Manager Brian Cashman said, “Despite CC’s impressive statistical credentials, he set team goals ahead of personal goals. And when you have a player of his stature displaying that type of selflessness, it tends to manifest itself inside every corner of the clubhouse.”
Sabathia’s former manager Joe Girardi said, “CC always had everyone’s back, and that’s what I loved about him.”
Fellow Hall of Famer Derek Jeter said, “His career on the field speaks for itself, but it’s his career as a teammate that stands out the most.”
Andy Pettitte said, “He had that bulldog approach to the point where he had a lack of care for his own well-being at time, and he wanted to take the ball every chance he could.”
Sabathia was a joy to watch and a joy to cover. I imagine that Sabathia’s #52 will be retired in the very near future.
Congratulations to Ichiro Suzuki, who also wore a Yankee uniform (who surprisingly fell one vote short of being the second player to be elected unanimously) and Billy Wagner, who spent parts of four seasons with the Mets.
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