While younger fans might remember him best from his days with the New York Yankees, CC Sabathia’s road to the Baseball Hall of Fame started with Cleveland.
That’s why he wanted to make sure no one forgot about that.
Shortly after his induction, Sabathia shouted out the city on social media.
“CLEVELAND!!!” Sabathia wrote on X.
CLEVELAND!!!
— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) July 27, 2025
The franchise selected took the southpaw with the No. 20 pick of the 1998 MLB Draft.
Despite being just 17 years old and clearly raw, his physical prowess and talent were too big to ignore.
He had to wait before taking the mound in the big leagues, but once he debuted in 2001, he almost won Rookie of the Year.
Sabathia spent the first eight years of his career with Cleveland, helping the team reach the postseason twice and winning the 2007 AL Cy Young Award.
They traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers during the 2008 season, and he spent the rest of that year there before playing the final 11 years of his career for the Yankees.
Sabathia helped New York win the World Series in 2009 after earning ALCS MVP honors.
His most successful days may not have come with Cleveland, but he’s always made sure to thank the organization for giving him an opportunity as a teenager out of Vallejo, California.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday with Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner, and the late Dave Parker and Dick Allen.
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