Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. made his MLB debut in Cleveland for the Indians on April 8, 2001 vs Orioles. The starting 3B for the Orioles that day was Cal Ripken Jr.
On July 7, 2008, Sabathia was traded from the Indians to the Milwaukee Brewers for Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Zach Jackson, and Rob Bryson.
On December 18th, 2008, CC Sabathia Jr. signed a seven-year, $161 million deal with the New York Yankees in free agency.
The rest is history.
CC Sabathia has been a staple in the Yankees’ pitching rotation every year since he was signed, and he has also become a fan favorite. His pitching made an instant impact on the Yankees, as in his first year pitching in the Bronx, he was tied for the league lead in wins and the Yankees won the World Series.
Since then, Sabathia has gone through some hard times in his life, but he has been able to push through the problems and continue pitching.
In October of 2015, Sabathia checked himself into an alcohol treatment center, and in December of 2018, Sabathia underwent a cardiac catheterization and was found to have a blockage of a coronary artery.
After these events, Sabathia has come back to continue pitching, changing his pitching style almost completely. Sabathia was a power pitcher who relied on his velocity for most of his career, but once he lost that velocity, he needed to adjust his style on the mound. Sabathia has come back to rely on control and pinpoint accuracy, and he has been able to stay a pretty dominant starter in the Yankees’ rotation.
CC Sabathia has achieved some amazing things over the course of his 19-year career. Sabathia has achieved 250 career wins, 3,043 strikeouts, six All-Star selections, the 2007 Cy Young Award, the 2009 ALCS Most Valuable Player, and the 2009 World Series title. CC is the 17th pitcher and the third left-hander in Major League Baseball history with at least 3,000 strikeouts.
Sabathia is a part of a few very select clubs when it comes to baseball achievements.
He is a part of a 14 pitcher club, including himself, who have 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. The other pitchers who have achieved this great feat are Walter Johnson, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Nolan Ryan, Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry, Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Bert Blyleven, Fergie Jenkins, Bob Gibson. Sabathia is in some great company here.
Sabathia is part of an even more select pitching club, and these pitchers have at least 250 wins, 3000 strikeouts, a Cy Young Award, and an LCS or WS MVP. Those that are a part of this club are CC Sabathia, Randy Johnson, and Bob Gibson.
With these accomplishments, Sabathia has pushed himself into the Hall of Fame conversation, and when he is put on the ballot, it is very possible that he could be a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Featured Image: Julie Jacobson/Associated Press
