The New York Yankees retired CC Sabathia’s No. 52 and unveiled his plaque in Monument Park during a ceremony before Friday’s doubleheader opener against Baltimore, making the Hall of Fame left-hander the 24th player or manager in franchise history to receive the honor.
Sabathia joins Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada as the fifth member of the 2009 World Series championship team to have his number retired and a plaque installed.
“I never envisioned myself going into Monument Park and I think that was the reason why I was so scared to come here is because you don’t ever think you’re going to win the Yankee fans over or the city over,” Sabathia said. “So to be able to be sitting here now, playing here 11 years is an incredible feeling and that’s why I’ve said the last couple of 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, then the largest ever given to a free-agent pitcher, after general manager Brian Cashman won him over following an initial meeting in December 2008.
In his first year with the Yankees, Sabathia went 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA across 34 starts, won AL Championship Series MVP honors by going 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA over the Los Angeles Angels in the six-game series, and started Games 1 and 4 as New York beat Philadelphia for its 27th World Series title.
Over 19 major league seasons with Cleveland (2001-08), Milwaukee (2008) and the Yankees (2009-19), Sabathia went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, ranking third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton.
In his 11 seasons wearing pinstripes, Sabathia went 134-88 with a 3.81 ERA and 1,700 strikeouts. He ranks fourth in franchise history in strikeouts, seventh in starts, 10th in wins and 11th in innings pitched.
Sabathia was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2025, appearing on 86.8% of ballots. He was inducted alongside Billy Wagner and Ichiro Suzuki, a former Yankee teammate from 2012 to 2014.
“That ceremony was incredible, surreal,” Sabathia said of his Hall of Fame induction. “I was saying out there I have so many famous teammates whether it’s Mo, Derek, Andy. So I’ve been at the ceremony a bunch of times but to have that ceremony be for me is special and to have my family out there was cool.”
Friday’s ceremony opened with video tributes from Jeter, Paul O’Neill, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams. Sabathia unveiled his plaque alongside his wife, Amber, two of his children, two friends and his mother, Margie. After a highlight video played, he waved to fans from a golf cart circling the warning track and was presented with a blue blazer, a framed version of his plaque and retired number, and a commemorative ring from Cashman, who drew boos from the crowd.
Sabathia capped the day by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to his son, Carsten, a first baseman in the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor league system.
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