CC Sabathia saw many ceremonies honoring former players during his 11 seasons with New York Yankees and he had never imagined that he would be a reverend.
Sabathia became the 24th player or coach to have his number retired, and the Hall of Fame left-hander was honored with a plaque at Monument Park during a ceremony before Friday’s opener against Baltimore.
Sabathia joined Derek JeterMariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada as the fifth member of 2009 World Series champion Yankees with a retired number and plaque.
“I never imagined myself going to Monument Park and I think that’s why I was so afraid to come here is because you don’t think you’re going to win over the Yankee fans or the city,” Sabathia said. “So to be able to stand here now, to play here for 11 years is an incredible feeling and that’s why I’ve been saying the last two weeks, this feels bigger to me than the Hall of Fame, because I know what was at stake when I came here.”
Now 46, Sabathia signed a seven-year, $161 million contract before the 2009 season after being persuaded by general manager Brian Cashman after an initial meeting in December 2008. The contract was the largest at the time for a free-agent pitcher.
Sabathia went 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA in 34 starts for the Yankees in his first season. He won the AL Championship Series MVP award, going 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in a six-game win over Los Angeles Angels and started Games 1 and 4 as the Yankees beat Philadelphia for their 27th title.
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Sabathia went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, over 19 seasons with Cleveland (2001-08), Milwaukee (2008) and the Yankees (2009-19).
Over 11 seasons in New York, Sabathia was 134-88 with a 3.81 ERA and 1,700 strikeouts. He ranks fourth in franchise history in hits, seventh in starts, 10th in wins and 11th in hitting.
Sabathia was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2025, receiving 86.8% of the vote. He joined Billy Wagner and Ichiro Suzuki, a former Yankee teammate from 2012-14.
“That ceremony was unbelievable, surreal,” Sabathia said. “I was saying there that I have so many famous teammates, whether it’s Mo, Derek, Andy. So I’ve been to the ceremony a lot of times, but to have that ceremony for me is special and to have my family there was cool.”
The Yankees’ ceremony began with video messages from Jeter, Paul O’Neill, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams, and Sabathia unveiled the plaque with his wife Amber, two of his children, two friends and his mother, Margie.
After the video highlights, Sabathia waved to fans from a golf cart along the warning track. He was presented with a blue blazer, a framed version of his plaque and retirement number along with a ring commemorating his career by general manager Brian Cashman – who was greeted by fans.
After the ceremony, Sabathia threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his son Carsten, a Milwaukee minor league first baseman.
Reporting by the Associated Press.
