CC Sabathia's jersey number retired at Yankee Stadium

NEW YORK -- Baseball Hall of Famer CC Sabathia had a day to remember on Friday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. 

His jersey No. 52 was retired, and the Yankees dedicated a plaque in his honor at Monument Park. For Sabathia, the day felt bigger than when he was enshrined in Cooperstown two years earlier.

CC Sabathia reflects on his time with the New York Yankees

“I knew what was at stake when I came (to New York),” Sabathia said.

Sabathia became the 24th Yankees player or manager to have his number retired since Paul O’Neill had his No. 21 retired on Aug. 21, 2022. The ceremony for Sabathia took place before the Yankees played a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles. 

“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.”     

Sabathia won the fans over in a big way. In his 11 years in pinstripes, Sabathia was 134-88 with a 3.81 ERA, 1,700 strikeouts in 307 games. He joined the Yankees as a free agent on December 18, 2008, signing a seven-year, $161 million deal. In his first year with the club, Sabathia was an integral part of the Yankees, who beat the Phillies in six games to win the 2009 World Series.  

Sabathia said it wasn’t until August of that year when he started to feel comfortable in the Big Apple. It was Aug. 8 against the Boston Red Sox. He didn’t allow a run in 7 ⅔ innings as New York won the game, 12-7. Sabathia's ERA went down from 3.95 to 3.76.  

“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.”

Sabathia was more than a great pitcher. He was a great clubhouse leader. Sabathia made sure he knew his teammates on and off the field. Nobody saw that firsthand more than current Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who managed Sabathia for two years in 2018 and 2019. 

Sabathia is a guy who can connect to a lot of different people, the skipper said. Boone went so far as to say Sabathia is one of the reasons Aaron Judge became a leader in the clubhouse.     

“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.”      

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.