CLEVELAND — WWE SummerSlam was taking place only a short drive up the road, but Saturday night at Progressive Field was all about the big lefty.
Prior to their nationally televised game against the Baltimore Orioles, the Guardians officially inducted Cleveland Indians legend CC Sabathia into the team's Hall of Fame. The former Tribe ace was joined on the diamond by a number of past honorees, including former teammates Charles Nagy, Jim Thome, and Kenny Lofton.
Speaking briefly and accepting his status as a franchise icon with modesty, Sabathia paid tribute to the organization as well as his family. "Most importantly," however, he gave a special shoutout to the city where his career began.
"Coming here at 17 years old, I always tell people, 'I was born and raised in California, but I grew up here in Cleveland,'" he told the appreciative crowd.
Following his remarks, Sabathia tossed the ceremonial first pitch to his longtime battery mate, ex-Indians catcher Victor Martinez.
Selected by Cleveland out of high school in the first round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft, Sabathia quickly shot through the minors, making his big league debut in 2001 without even having pitched in Triple-A. At just 21 years old, the 6-foot-6 southpaw made his presence known immediately, posting a 17-5 record and finishing runner-up in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.
In 7 1/2 seasons with the Tribe, Sabathia won 106 games with three All-Star appearances, and his 1,265 strikeouts rank seventh in club history. The highlight of his tenure came in 2007, when he went 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA and 209 Ks over a league-best 241 innings pitched to become the first Cleveland pitcher to win the AL Cy Young Award since Gaylord Perry in 1972.
CC also helped the Indians make the playoffs twice, notably with an ALCS appearance in 2007. Unfortunately, the Tribe fell to the Boston Red Sox in seven games after initially leading the series 3-1, with Sabathia himself taking personal blame for the defeat after going 0-2 in his starts.
"We had the best team, but I didn't pitch like I should've," he said on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" in 2020. "It's (Cleveland) just like a place that I consider to be like home, and to not be able to deliver a championship there, it really sucks. I still think about it all the time."
Sabathia's accountability for the loss has only increased his stature in the eyes of Cleveland fans, but unfortunately, 2007 would be his last full year with the team, as he was traded to Milwaukee in the summer of 2008 for a package that ended up netting future All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley. He would dominate with the Brewers during the pennant drive before signing a lucrative contract that offseason with the New York Yankees, the place where he would spend the final 11 years of his career.
Sabathia helped lead the Bronx Bombers to a World Series championship in 2009 and also made three more All-Star Games, including when he notched a personal-best 21 wins in 2010. He retired after the 2019 season with 251 total victories, a 3.74 ERA, and 3,093 strikeouts (18th-most all-time), making him a prime candidate for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible this winter.
Though he spent the majority of his professional tenure in the Big Apple, CC's ties to Cleveland remain strong, including with a youth field at Luke Easter Park bearing his name. It was there that Sabathia hosted a baseball clinic for children earlier this week, taking time to talk with 3News' Jay Crawford about his love for Northeast Ohio.
Besides Sabathia, former Indians clubhouse manager Cy Buynak and longtime coach and front office representative Johnny Goryl were enshrined in the Guardians Distinguished Hall of Fame honoring non-uniformed personnel. The first 15,000 fans through the gates also received a special CC bobblehead doll.
