CC Sabathia officially will go into Hall of Fame as a Yankee
CC Sabathia will get his wish when he is inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame on July 27. His plaque will feature a Yankees logo on the cap, the Hall announced on Monday.
Sabathia said when he was elected to the Hall last month that he wanted his plaque to have a Yankees logo on it. The lefthander spent the final 11 seasons with the Yankees after signing as a free agent in 2009, when he led the franchise to its most recent World Series title. Sabathia spent the first 7 ½ seasons with Cleveland before a midseason trade to Milwaukee in 2008.
“I don’t think I’d be sitting here today if I wasn’t drafted by the Cleveland organization,” Sabathia said after his induction. “I’m very thankful to Milwaukee for trading for me and having that run that I had there, but this is home. I found a home in the Bronx, and I don’t think I'll ever leave this city.”
The Hall of Fame makes the final choice on which team logo — if any — goes on a new inductee’s plaque.
Former Mets reliever Billy Wagner, for example, will be inducted as a member of the Houston Astros. Wagner spent the first nine seasons of his 16-year career with the Astros. He also played for four other teams, including the Mets from 2006-2009.
“Everything began here for me,” Wagner said of Houston.
The other members of the Class of 2025 and their cap choices are Dick Allen (Phillies), Dave Parker (Pirates) and Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners). Suzuki played for the Yankees from 2012-2014.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.