CC Sabathia makes his feelings known about Hall of Fame induction as a Yankee

On Wednesday, former Major League starting pitcher CC Sabathia talked about his name appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. He mentioned how he feels to see his name among some of the best who have played the sport.

In a Major League career spanning 19 seasons, Sabathia represented the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees.

For his career as a whole, Sabathia had a 251-161 win/loss record, with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts. The lefty has a trophy cabinet to match his excellent stats, earning six All-Star caps, an AL Cy Young award in 2007 and a World Series ring in 2009.

Talking to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News, Sabathia said he had no doubts about entering the Hall of Fame as a Yankee. This is especially so due to him having enjoyed arguably the most successful year of his career in the Bronx.

"Absolutely, (I will enter the Hall of Fame as a Yankee)," CC Sabathia said.

Also talking about how he feels to be named alongside some of the best players to ever play in the big leagues, Sabathia said:

"I’m excited. That’s something that I never thought about when I was playing or dreamt about, but to have people consider me to be a Hall of Famer is exciting. We’ll see what happens. I played, I did my thing. Now it’s just up to the writers to do the voting," Sabathia added.

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CC Sabathia "definitely a Hall of Famer," former New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi says

Speaking to MLB Network Radio on Dec. 6, former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi categorically said that CC Sabathia deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He reminisced about how the left-handed pitcher not only performed well on the mound but also took the stress of the bullpen.

"CC Sabathia to me is definitely a Hall of Famer," Girardi said. "19 seasons, over 3,500 innings, 251 wins, over 3,000 strikeouts — are there 19 pitchers that have over 3,000 strikeouts? Here's what I love about CC Sabathia: CC Sabathia changed the way I managed the game the day before and the day after because I didn't plan on using my bullpen much the day CC pitched. I didn't plan on using the left-handers.

"So, I could be more aggressive the day before with my bullpen knowing that I would not need much the day CC pitched, and I knew I could be more aggressive the day after because most of those guys were getting a day off."

It is yet to be seen whether Sabathia will eventually make it to the promised land, with the voting results set to be announced in January 2025. Whether he makes the cut or not, it's safe to say the 44-year-old can be very proud of the success he enjoyed in the years he spent in the big leagues.