CC Sabathia got the full Yankee Stadium treatment on Friday afternoon, with his No. 52 going up in retirement and a plaque added in Monument Park in his honor.
For Sabathia, the moment carried a different kind of weight than his Hall of Fame induction two years ago in Cooperstown.
“I knew what was at stake when I came (to New York),” Sabathia said.
He called the ceremony “incredible” and “surreal,” and said the day meant even more because of the people around him.
“That ceremony was incredible, surreal,” Sabathia said. “I have so many famous teammates, whether it’s Mo (Mariano Rivera), Derek (Jeter) or Andy (Pettitte).
I’ve been at (similar) ceremonies a bunch of times. But to have that ceremony for me, it’s special.
"Having my family out there was cool. I never envisioned myself going to Monument Park. That was one of the reasons I was scared to come here, because you never think you are going to win the Yankee fans or the city over.”
He did that, and then some.
Over 11 seasons in pinstripes, Sabathia went 134-88 with a 3.81 ERA and 1,700 strikeouts in 307 games. The Yankees brought him in on December 18, 2008, when he signed a seven-year, $161 million deal, and he became a central piece of the 2009 team that beat the Phillies in six games to win the World Series.
Sabathia said his comfort level in New York didn’t really arrive until August of that first season. The turning point, he said, came on Aug. 8 against the Red Sox, when he worked 7 ⅔ scoreless innings in a 12-7 Yankees win. His ERA dropped from 3.95 to 3.76 after that outing.
“I got off to a bad start. I didn’t pitch well in the beginning," Sabathia remembered.
"I had a couple of good starts in the middle. I didn’t make the All-Star team.
But the Red Sox came in, and we didn’t play well against them yet. I pitched a really good game against them.
That’s when I felt like I’m here (in New York). I can do this.”
Aaron Boone, who managed Sabathia in 2018 and 2019, spoke about the impact Sabathia had beyond the mound. Boone described him as someone who could connect with all kinds of people and said many in the clubhouse viewed him as more than a teammate.
“A lot of our guys know CC and a handful had the good fortune of playing with him,” Boone said. "We saw him go into the Hall of Fame.
We see his number retired and go into Monument Park today. Obviously, a Hall of Fame pitcher and that is a huge part of his legacy.
I think everyone that ever got to play with him felt he was a brother, friend and unbelievable teammate. He was approachable - real easy to be around and a warrior.”
Boone also said Sabathia is one of the reasons Aaron Judge grew into a clubhouse leader.
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