CC Sabathia on what it means for Yankees to retire his number 52

CC Spathia He’s already been immortalized in baseball history after being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025, but he’ll join a more exclusive club in the Bronx later this year.

the New York Yankees Sabatia’s No. 52 will be retired, making him the 23rd recipient of one of the sport’s greatest honors. Sabathia’s name and number will enter baseball’s hallowed stadium that is Monument Park, which sits behind the center field wall at Yankee Stadium — a place Sabathia has always admired but never thought he would enter until today, let alone in 2009 when he joined the team as a free agent.

After 11 seasons with the series, and one World Series ring among other accolades, he got a call from owner Hal Steinbrenner.

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CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte pose for a photo before CC Sabathia’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony before the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 7, 2025 in New York, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

“I keep thinking about what a complete honor this is, and how excited I am to have my number retired by, probably, one of the best sports franchises in the world,” Sabatia told Fox News Digital two days after receiving the call that his number would be retired. “When you debut in New York, you see all the numbers. You understand Monument Park, but you never think you can get there, do you? As a free agent, you say, ‘I can never do enough to match Whitey Ford, or to match what Ron Guidry means to this organization.’

“To actually be able to do that 11 years later and see that my number is going to be there and retired, it’s more of a shock than getting into the Hall of Fame, to be honest. I wouldn’t say I’m more proud. Obviously being in the Hall of Fame is the most important thing. But being in the Yankees Hall of Fame is a crazy selection of players that have done some really good things in the history of baseball. To be a part of that group is really special.”

Sabathia was a three-time All-Star and Cy Young Award winner in the American League, having a career-best 2.70 ERA with the then-Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers When he entered free agency before the 2009 season.

Sabathia was a prime target for many teams across MLB, and he knew he could make an impact with any team he chose. But even Sabathia, who had been on the lam every fifth day throughout his career up to that point, had at least some doubt creeping into his mind when he called on the New York Yankees to bring his talents to the Bronx.

“So sit down and think about how Cash works [GM Brian Cashman] “She convinced me to come here,” Sabatia said. “I never gave myself room to think about how I would end up in Monument Park, or how it would end up. You see a lot of free agents coming here, whether it’s through the media, or the pressure of working in the Bronx with the Pinstripes, and that’s all you hear about. You never talk about a guy who comes here and ends up in Monument Park.”

Sabathia eventually agreed to a seven-year, $161 million deal with the Yankees, and yes, Cashman opted out after three seasons because not even Sabathia was immune to the pressures of playing in the Bronx.

But he accomplished what everyone who joins the Yankees hopes to do in pinstripes: win a World Series. He did so in his inaugural season, leading a rotation that also included free-agent newcomer AJ Burnett and fellow Monument Park member, Andy Pettit. After those three seasons, it would have been easy for Sabatia to opt out, adding another season in addition to his remaining years.

CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees celebrates in the dugout with a copy of the New York Post after a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 of the 2009 World Series at Yankee Stadium on November 4, 2009 in the Bronx, New York City. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Sabathia pitched to a 3.81 ERA over 307 Yankees starts (1,918 innings) with 1,700 strikeouts, putting him over the rare 3,000 strikeout mark. Only three lefties in MLB history accomplished this feat before Sabathia.

So, what started as not necessarily knowing what would happen with making the Bronx home, quickly turned into embracing the vibrant, bustling city and fan base. Even today, Sabathia still gets called when he walks by E. 161st Street or attends a game at Yankee Stadium, which he said is about 50 games a year.

“I loved every moment of my time in the Bronx, and the energy everyone brought,” he said. “In the days when I started, I would drive through the Bronx. I would drive down Jermon Street, windows down, blasting my music just to feel the people and the energy and get ready for what I was about to do.

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“It was hard to come here because it’s a lot, but I loved every part of being part of the Yankee Universe with the fans and the organization. I’m excited to be able to address them and stand in front of them and talk about the responsibility they have to every player who wears the pinstripes.”

Even as a 20-year-old thriving in Cleveland’s minor league system knowing what the pinstripes meant to every baseball player, the Indians called him up from the 2000 Sydney Olympics to make his big-league debut in the Bronx. Sabathia’s first trip to Monument Park has quite the story.

“I made the Olympic team. I was going to compete in the Olympics,” he began. “[I] I went to the opening ceremony, and I was called that night. The Indians needed me back in New York, because they had a bunch of double-headed people in Boston and New York, and they might need me to pitch. So, I flew from Australia to San Diego and spent the night there. Then he traveled to Winter Haven, [Florida] Which is where we had our spring training, and then they flew me to New York.

CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees greets fans as he is honored before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on September 22, 2019 in New York City. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

“The next day, I woke up and I was supposed to pitch in the bullpen, so I got to the ballpark and went in the wrong direction. I walked all the way down the tunnel into the ballpark.” [old] pitch, and I ended up in the batting cage. There were some guys there, Moss I think [Mike Mussina] He was there doing his thing, and he took me back the other way all the way across the other side of the field to where you had to walk through Monument Park, because Monument Park was on the playing field. So, I was walking around and seeing all these different statues and all these different things, and my shooting coach is standing there mad at me because now I’m 15 minutes late.”

Unfortunately, Sabatia did not create his goal MLB He didn’t make his debut until the 2001 season, when pitching coach Dick Ball saw him throw just three pitches and decided, “Hell, he’s not ready,” as the 45-year-old laughed as he reflected on the moment.

“I throw about 10 more pitches, and I walk through Monument Park to kind of take it all in,” he added. “When I came back, there was a ticket in my seat to go home.”

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It’s fun and gratifying for Sabathia to look back now and see everything he’s been through. Naturally, he did just that last year, when he entered that illustrious hall in Cooperstown. But he never expected that he would be remembered forever by one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world.

Then again, he went out to the mound and gave it everything he could when it was his turn to get on the field, just like all the other players whose numbers are at Monument Park. In fact, Sabatia literally threw until his arm fell off — he suffered a dislocated left shoulder during Game 4 of the ALCS in 2019. Sabatia is currently rehabilitating for a knee replacement, which he says he’s been putting off since retirement as well.

But he knew that was what it took to play for the Yankees in the Bronx, where fans hold everyone accountable no matter where they stand in the league. Whether you’re a Cy Young winner like Sabathia, or a three-time MVP like… Aaron the judge Today, fans are not discriminating when it comes to making fun of bad performances.

It’s what Sabatia loves most about the Bronx, and he can’t wait to tell them on Sept. 26 when his number enters Monument Park and sits on that wall behind the bleachers in left field.

CC Sabathia poses for a photo with his plaque during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center on July 27, 2025 in Cooperstown, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

“I think I’ll always think about the responsibility that fans give you. It’s something I’m grateful for. You never get a chance to let it go when you’re in New York, and like Jett [Derek Jeter] He always used to say: “Be humble.” “It keeps you humble no matter how good you are,” he said.

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When Sabathia sees his new plaque that will spend eternity in Monument Park, he’ll read exactly what he means to the Yankees and, more importantly, why he belongs with the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and many others. As someone who was willing to throw down a division rival and fire him as retaliation for a previous loss, dishing out a $500,000 incentive bonus in the process, Sabathia knows what he wants to write for Yankees fans now and forever to watch when they walk through Monument Park.

“He left everything there. He was the absolute teammate and literally left everything there every time he had the ball. Every fifth day,” Sabatia said.

“How much I competed, how much I wanted to win. I literally left everything out there. My shoulders and my knees. But I always strived to be the best teammate I could be, and hopefully they can put that on the board.”

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