CC Sabathia’s path to becoming a New York Yankees legend came with plenty of uncertainty. In July 2008, the Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians) traded Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers in the final year of his contract. He entered free agency after helping the Brewers reach the postseason in 2008. Although they offered him a 5-year, $100 million deal, uncertainties remained over whether a small-market team could survive the bidding war.
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The Yankees eventually swooped in with a 7-year, $161 million offer. It started his chapter by helping the Pinstripes win the World Series, and years later, by having his No. 52 jersey retired in the Bronx.
MLB fans around the world started celebrating and congratulating him for the achievement. They flooded Sabathia’s X post where he uploaded an image of himself standing beside the Monument Park plaque. He captioned it, “Still feels like a dream. 52 forever in Monument Park!!”
And one of his teammates decided not to stay behind.
“Congrats to my brother, and one of my favorite teammates of all time, the legend @CC_Sabathia on joining the legends that live on Monument Park,” Alex Rodriguez wrote, sharing Sabathia’s post.
CC has often praised A-Rod, calling him one of the best and smartest teammates he ever played with. But their connection goes before they started wearing the same jersey. Back when Sabathia was still playing for Cleveland (then the Indians), the duo crossed paths during a Spring Training game. Rodriguez pitched the idea of having him in New York.
It eventually panned out as A-Rod expected, and the two were playing side-by-side in the Bronx. While Sabathia anchored the rotation, Rodriguez delivered key postseason moments to help the Yankees achieve their 27th title.
They remained Yankees teammates through 2016, seven years after their 2009 championship. CC Sabathia finally hung up his boots in 2019 after earning 6 MLB All-Star selections, 3 Warren Spahn Awards, 2 MLB wins leader, a Cy Young Award, and one World Series Ring. He recorded 251 career wins and 3,093 strikeouts. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025 (first ballot), receiving 86.8% of the vote.
Sabathia had already earned a place in Cooperstown, but the Yankees had an honor of their own waiting for him. On Friday, September 25, they retired his No. 52 and unveiled his Monument Park plaque at Yankee Stadium. The ceremony had been moved up a day because of the weather forecast, although the plaque still bears the originally planned September 26 date.
The ceremony itself was filled with familiar Yankees faces and reminders of Sabathia’s place in the franchise’s history. Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Dellin Betances and Chris Young, among other Pinstripes legends, were attending, and video messages from former teammates played during the celebration.
Sabathia later unveiled the plaque with his family before receiving a framed version of the plaque, his retired number, and a commemorative ring. While it was an incredible show of how the Pinstripes honor the people who contributed to their journey, one moment shifted the tone in a different direction.
GM Brian Cashman entered the field to present Sabathia, and a section of the crowd booed him loudly. Cashman laughed it off and embraced the legend, but the people’s response quickly became a talking point. It was a stern reminder of the Yankees’ 16-season World Series drought.
Luckily, the fans online were focusing more on Sabathia’s exceptional legacy and not on the postseason struggles.
“Congrats King! You deserve it brother! A legend!” one fan commented on his post.
Another followed suit, saying, “You’re the man CC. So happy for you and your family.”
Sabathia spent 7+ seasons with Cleveland before joining New York. But he became a Yankees legend the moment he started wearing the Pinstripes, and earned the ring.
That’s why one fan said, “Bringing you to New York was one of the best moves the Yankees ever made.”
While another expressed his regret for not having a close encounter. He wrote, “Congrats CC! Was lucky enough to watch you, wish I got to meet you!”
But the fans didn’t just celebrate the legacy. They had another request for the franchise.
“pls @Yankees do my boy @AROD next he deserve it plaseeeee,” commented one fan. And several others echoed the same.
Sabathia’s Monument Park honor brought an outpouring of appreciation from the Yankees fans. And A-Rod made sure not to miss the opportunity to celebrate and congratulate his “brother” on his latest achievement.