CC Sabathia is a first-ballot Hall of Famer with historic numbers, but he almost cut the end of his Yankees career short.
Once more, for baseball immortality, Billy Wagner closed it out. Wagner, the dominant closer who played a two-season sliver of his 16-year career with the Phillies, got elected Tuesday night to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his 10th and final year on the ballot.
The guy who finished first was a 27-year-old import from Japan named Ichiro Suzuki. On Tuesday night, Ichiro and Sabathia entered the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on the first ballot. Ichiro received 99.7% of the vote, missing a unanimous selection by one vote. Sabathia was elected by 86.8% of the vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
The complete story of how the Brewers landed big left-hander CC Sabathia in July 2008, setting the stage for a once-in-a-generation run.
CC Sabathia’s career ended abruptly. Yes, the longtime Yankees left-hander had announced months earlier his plans to retire after the 2019 season, but his final appearance did not go as ceremoniously as Derek Jeter’s or Mariano Rivera’s.
Six-time MLB All-Star CC Sabathia is anxiously awaiting what could be the crowning achievement of his storied 19-year career on Monday. Hours before
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner reached the necessary 75% support on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot revealed Tuesday. Complete results.
Ichiro Suzuki had already cemented a strong, and likely everlasting baseball card market long before Tuesday’s almost unanimous vote for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, headlining the class of 2025.
CC Sabathia: "I get no love in my own house. (Carter) loves Elly De La Cruz. So it's all these other guys that he loves to watch besides his dad."
While Sabathia was a runaway choice in the Hall of Fame election, selected on 86.8% of the ballots by the Baseball Writers' Association of America – joining peers Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner – this ultimate honor meant much, much more than just a museum plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia were elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Tuesday. Billy Wagner also received enough votes to round out the 2025 Hall of Fame class. Results were unveiled in an election show on MLB Network.