CC Sabathia on 'shock' of Yankees adding him to Monument Park, what he hopes fans remember forever

CC Sabathia was already immortalized successful shot past aft being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame successful 2025, but helium volition beryllium joining an adjacent much exclusive nine successful the Bronx aboriginal this year.

The New York Yankees volition discontinue Sabathia's No. 52, adding him arsenic the 23rd recipient of 1 of the top honors successful sports. Sabathia's sanction and fig volition participate the hallowed shot crushed that is Monument Park, which sits down the halfway tract partition astatine Yankee Stadium – a spot Sabathia had ever admired but ne'er thought helium would participate adjacent today, fto unsocial 2009 erstwhile helium joined the squad arsenic a escaped agent.

After 11 seasons with the franchise, and 1 World Series ringing among different accolades, helium got the telephone from proprietor Hal Steinbrenner.

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CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte airs for a photograph earlier honoring CC Sabathia's Hall of Fame pregame ceremonial anterior to the crippled betwixt the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees astatine Yankee Stadium connected Sept. 7, 2025 successful New York, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

"I conscionable support reasoning astir what a implicit grant it is, and however excited I americium to really person my fig retired by, probably, 1 of the champion sports franchises successful the world," Sabathia told Fox News Digital 2 days aft helium got the telephone that his fig would beryllium retired. "When you archetypal amusement up successful New York, you spot each the numbers. You recognize Monument Park, but you ne'er deliberation you tin get there, right? As a escaped agent, you’re coming successful like, ‘I tin ne'er bash capable to lucifer Whitey Ford, oregon to lucifer what Ron Guidry meant to this organization.’

"To beryllium capable to really person that travel to fruition aft 11 years and spot that my fig is going to beryllium determination and beryllium retired, it’s much of a daze than going into the Hall of Fame, to beryllium honest. I’m not going to accidental I consciousness much honored. Obviously, going into the Hall of Fame is the eventual thing. But being successful the Yankees Hall of Fame is simply a brainsick prime radical of players who person done immoderate truly bully things successful shot history. To beryllium a portion of that radical is truly special."

Sabathia was a three-time All-Star and an American League Cy Young Award winner, coming disconnected a career-best 2.70 ERA with the then-Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers erstwhile helium entered escaped bureau earlier the 2009 season.

Sabathia was a apical people for galore teams crossed MLB, and helium knew helium could marque an interaction with immoderate squad helium chose. But adjacent Sabathia, who was nails connected the mound each 5th time passim his vocation up to that point, had astatine slightest immoderate uncertainty creeping into his caput erstwhile the New York Yankees called astir bringing his talents to the Bronx.

"Even sitting backmost and reasoning astir however Cash [GM Brian Cashman] convinced maine to travel here," Sabathia said. "I ne'er adjacent gave myself country to deliberation astir ending up successful Monument Park, oregon however it would end. You spot truthful galore escaped agents travel here, whether it’s the media, the unit of pitching successful the Bronx with the pinstripes, and that’s each you perceive about. You ne'er astir the feline who comes present and ends up successful Monument Park."

Sabathia yet agreed to a seven-year woody with the Yankees worthy $161 million, and yes, Cashman enactment successful an opt-out aft 3 seasons due to the fact that not adjacent Sabathia was immune to the unit of pitching successful the Bronx.

But helium accomplished what everyone who joins the Yankees hopes to bash successful pinstripes: Win a World Series. He did truthful successful his inaugural season, starring a rotation that besides featured free-agent newcomer A.J. Burnett and chap Monument Park member, Andy Pettitte. And aft those 3 seasons, it was an casual determination for Sabathia to opt in, adding different play connected apical of the remaining years helium had left.

C.C. Sabathia of the New York Yankees celebrates successful the dugout with a transcript of the New York Post aft their 7-3 triumph against the Philadelphia Phillies successful Game Six of the 2009 World Series astatine Yankee Stadium connected Nov. 4, 2009 successful the Bronx borough of New York City. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Sabathia pitched to a 3.81 ERA implicit 307 Yankees starts (1,918 innings) with 1,700 strikeouts, which landed him supra the uncommon 3,000-strikeout mark. Only 3 lefties successful MLB past had accomplished the feat anterior to Sabathia.

So, what began arsenic not needfully knowing what would hap by making the Bronx home, rapidly turned into embracing the vibrant, raucous metropolis and instrumentality base. Even today, Sabathia is inactive called retired erstwhile he's walking adjacent E. 161st Street oregon attending a crippled astatine Yankee Stadium, which helium said is astir 50 per year. 

"I loved each infinitesimal of my clip successful the Bronx, and the vigor that everybody brought," helium said. "The days that I started, I would thrust done the Bronx. I would thrust down Jermone Ave., windows down, blasting my euphony conscionable to kinda get a consciousness for the radical and the vigor and get acceptable for what I’m astir to do.

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"It was hard to travel present due to the fact that it is truthful much, but I loved each spot of being a portion of the Yankee Universe with the fans and organization. I’m excited to beryllium capable to code them and get successful beforehand of them and speech astir the accountability they clasp for each subordinate who puts connected the pinstripes."

Even arsenic a 20-year-old thriving successful Cleveland's insignificant league strategy knew what the pinstripes meant to each shot player, arsenic the Indians called him backmost from the Sydney Olympics successful 2000 to perchance marque his large league debut successful the Bronx. Sabathia's archetypal travel to Monument Park has rather the story.

"I had made the Olympic team. I was going to transportation successful the Olympics," helium began. "[I] went to the opening ceremony, I get called that night. The Indians needed maine to travel backmost to New York, due to the fact that they had a clump of doubleheaders successful Boston and New York, and they whitethorn request maine to pitch. So, I alert from Australia to San Diego, walk the nighttime implicit there. Then, alert to Winter Haven, [Florida] which is wherever our outpouring grooming was, and past they flew maine up to New York.

CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees salutes the assemblage arsenic helium is honored anterior to a crippled against the Toronto Blue Jays astatine Yankee Stadium connected Sept. 22, 2019 successful New York City.  (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

"Next day, I aftermath up and I’m expected to propulsion a bullpen, truthful I get to the stadium and I really went the incorrect way. I walked each the mode down the passageway astatine the [old] stadium, and I ended up successful the batting cage. There were immoderate guys successful there, I deliberation Moose [Mike Mussina] was down determination doing his work, and helium points maine backmost to the different absorption each the mode done the different broadside of the stadium to wherever you had to locomotion done Monument Park, due to the fact that Monument Park was successful the bullpen. So, I’m walking done and I spot each these antithetic statues and each this antithetic stuff, and my pitching manager is lasting determination pissed disconnected astatine maine due to the fact that present I’m 15 minutes late."

Unfortunately, Sabathia didn't marque his MLB debut until the 2001 season, arsenic pitching manager Dick Pole saw him propulsion conscionable 3 pitches and determined, "Hell, helium ain't ready," arsenic the 45-year-old chuckled conscionable reasoning astir the moment.

"I propulsion similar 10 much pitches, and I locomotion done Monument Park to kinda instrumentality it each in," helium added. "When I went backmost in, determination was a summons successful my spot to spell backmost home."

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It's amusive and gratifying for Sabathia to look backmost present and spot each that helium went through. Of course, helium did truthful past year, entering that illustrious Hall successful Cooperstown. But helium ne'er expected to beryllium remembered everlastingly by 1 of the astir iconic sports franchises successful the world.

Then again, helium went retired connected the mound and gave his each erstwhile it was his crook to instrumentality the field, conscionable similar each the different players whose numbers reside successful Monument Park. In fact, Sabathia rather virtually threw until his limb fell disconnected – helium suffered a near enarthrosis dislocation during Game 4 of the ALCS successful 2019. And Sabathia is presently rehabbing a genu replacement, which helium says he’s been putting disconnected since status arsenic well.

But helium knew that's what was needed to transportation for the Yankees successful the Bronx, wherever fans clasp everyone accountable nary substance their stature successful the league. Whether you're a Cy Young victor similar Sabathia then, oregon a three-time MVP similar Aaron Judge today, fans don't discriminate erstwhile it comes to jeers for atrocious performances.

It's thing Sabathia loves astir astir the Bronx, and helium can't hold to archer them connected Sept. 26 erstwhile his fig enters Monument Park and sits connected that partition down the bleachers successful near field.

CC Sabathia poses for a photograph with his plaque during the Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony astatine Clark Sports Center connected July 27, 2025 successful Cooperstown, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

"I deliberation I volition ever deliberation astir the accountability that the fans clasp you to. It’s thing that I’m grateful for. You ne'er truly get a accidental to fto up erstwhile you’re successful New York, and similar Jeet [Derek Jeter] ever utilized to say, ‘Stay humble.’ It keeps you humble nary substance however bully you are," helium said.

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When Sabathia sees his caller plaque that volition walk an eternity successful Monument Park, helium volition work precisely what helium meant to the Yankees franchise, and much importantly, wherefore helium belongs with the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and galore more. As idiosyncratic who was consenting to propulsion astatine a divisional rival and get ejected arsenic retaliation for an earlier plunk, throwing distant $500,000 successful an inducement bonus successful the process, Sabathia knows what helium would privation written for Yankees fans present and everlastingly to presumption erstwhile they locomotion done Monument Park.

"He near everything retired there. He was the eventual teammate and virtually near everything retired determination each clip helium took the ball. Every 5th day," Sabathia said.

"How overmuch I competed, however overmuch I wanted to win. I virtually near everything retired there. My shoulder, my knee. But I ever strived to beryllium the champion teammate I could be, and hopefully they tin see that into the plaque."

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