It’s officially official: CC Sabathia’s Hall of Fame plaque will feature a cap with an interlocking NY insignia.
As if there were any doubt, the Hall of Fame officially announced that the left-hander will be enshrined as a member of the Yankees when the Class of 2025 is inducted on July 27. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America elected Sabathia to the Hall of Fame on Jan. 21. The first-time candidate, who also pitched for Cleveland and Milwaukee, received 86.8% of the vote.
Candidates must appear on 75% of ballots to earn induction.
The Hall’s announcement that Sabathia will enter Cooperstown as a Yankee was expected. Back in December, Sabathia said that he “absolutely” planned on representing the Bombers if he were to be elected.
A six-time All-Star, Sabathia ended his career with 251 wins, a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts over 3,577.1 innings. He is one of 19 pitchers in the 3,000-strikeout club. The only non-active members of that group not in the Hall of Fame are Roger Clemens, who has been linked to performance-enhancing drugs, and Curt Schilling, whose long history of bigoted and inflammatory remarks hurt his standing with voters over the years.
The Giants’ Justin Verlander and Blue Jays’ Max Scherzer remain active members of the 3,000-strikeout club.
Sabathia spent the first 7.5 years of his career with Cleveland before being traded to the Brewers in 2008. He only spent half a season in Milwaukee before enjoying the last 11 years of his career in New York.
Sabathia won a Cy Young with Cleveland in 2007 and is in the franchise’s own Hall of Fame, but his World Series ring and ALCS MVP trophy – secured during his first season in pinstripes in 2009 – padded his Cooperstown credentials.
Sabathia had a 1.98 ERA in five starts that October — the Yanks haven’t won a championship since — and he finished his career with a 3.42 ERA over 105.1 total postseason innings for the team.
Sabathia won’t be the only ex-Yankee immortalized in Cooperstown this summer, though Ichiro Suzuki will obviously wear a Mariners cap on his plaque after receiving all but one BBWAA vote. Meanwhile, ex-Met Billy Wagner will don an Astros logo on his plaque after nine seasons in Houston.
Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were elected to the Hall of Fame on Dec. 8 by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, will sport Phillies and Pirates logos, respectively.