CC Sabathia heading to Guardians Hall of Fame
May 2—It is always an honor when a former player is inducted into the Cleveland Indians/Guardians Hall of Fame. But maybe, just maybe, the recognition might be extra special when it comes for CC Sabathia this summer.
The Guardians on May 2 announced Sabathia will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame on Aug. 3 during a ceremony before a 7:10 p.m. game with the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Appropriately, the evening will be marked by CC Sabathia bobblehead night.
"We are so very excited to honor CC Sabathia as the newest member of the Guardians Hall of Fame," Guardians Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Bob DiBiasio said in a statement. "Following his selection as our number one draft pick in the 1998 June Draft, CC burst onto the Cleveland baseball scene in grand fashion. His rookie season of 2001, at age 20, saw him win 17 games.
"A commanding presence on the mound, CC also had a commanding spirit for his teammates and those in need of a helping hand off the field. The PitCCh In Foundation, created by Sabathia and his wife, Amber, aims to enrich the lives of youth through educational and athletic activities and will be the lasting legacy of a big man with an even bigger heart."
Sabathia enjoyed a Major League career that spanned 19 seasons. He pitched for the Indians from 2001 until July 7, 2008, when he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers because the Indians could not afford to re-sign him.
The year before, Sabathia finished 19-7 and won the American League Cy Young Award. It was bad enough that the Indians had to trade their ace, but what they initially got in return amounted to a bag of worn baseballs — Matt Laporta, Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson. The Indians also got a mysterious "player to be named later" in the trade.
Sabathia went 11-2 in his half-season with the Brewers, hurling six complete games along the way, to help Milwaukee reach the playoffs. Because the Brewers did make the playoffs, the Indians were allowed to choose the player to be named later. That player was Michael Brantley., who was playing for Milwaukee's Double-A team in Huntsville, Alabama at the time. Brantley played 10 years with the Indians.
Sabathia signed a seven-year, $161 million contract with the Yankees in 2009. He pitched 11 seasons for the pin-stripers, but never forgot his Cleveland roots. The Yankees made their only 2019 visit to Cleveland, Sabathia's final season, in early June. Sabathia made a point of visiting his former neighborhood in Westlake, including his favorite sandwich shop from the old days.
"It's like home," Sabathia said in a pregame news conference at Progressive Field five years ago. "It was a great time, a great time for me. I was out here early today and just walking around and it's weird, man. I don't have like memories good or bad either way. It's just memories. It's a weird thing and it just feels so comfortable to be in this park."
Sabathia made his Major League debut in 2001. During his rookie campaign, he recorded 171 strikeouts, the second most all-time by a Cleveland rookie. Sabathia finished second to Ichiro Suzuki in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. Sabathia was a member of the 2001 and 2007 AL Central Division championship teams during his time in Cleveland.
Sabathia ranks seventh in strikeouts (1,265) among Cleveland pitchers, 13th in wins (106) and 15th in innings pitched (1,528 2/3). For seven seasons, Sabathia recorded 11-plus wins, tying him with Sam McDowell for the most by an Indians left-hander. He was a three-time All-Star with the Tribe.
