Former Cleveland Baseball Legend C.C. Sabathia Makes the Hall of Fame
Congratulations, Carsten Charles!
The Baseball Hall of Fame has announced the induction of three players tonight: Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
Sabathia is, of course, the player with the notable Cleveland connection having been drafted by the team in 1998 as the 20th pick overall. He made the big leagues as a 20 year old and had a 17-5 record with a 4.39 ERA, punctuating a strong debut with a win over the Mariners in his only playoff start. Sabathia had 3.78 ERA in 242 starts for Cleveland, winning 110 games here. His Cy Young winning season in 2007 was the highlight, as he went 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA. Really the only stain on his time here was his 8.80 ERA in the 2007 postseason. He was traded to the Brewers in 2008 (which may have been an even better season for Sabathia) and then signed with the Yankees with whom he finished his career.
Unfortunately, Sabathia was bullied during his first few years by teammates in Cleveland but whatever resentment may have lingered there didn't effect his relationship with the organization longterm as he is inducted into the club's hall of fame and speaks highly of Carl Willis and many others who helped his Hall of Fame career take off. Also, he very inspiringly has been open about his journey in battling alcohol addiction, becoming sober in 2015. His story is an amazing one and I'm glad Cleveland is a part of it.
Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner are also very worthy inductees:
lowest career opponent batting avg, min 900 IP:
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) January 22, 2025
Billy Wagner: .184
Nolan Ryan: .200
Sandy Koufax: .202
Joe Nathan: .203
Francisco Rodríguez: .205
Highest career strikeout rate, min 900 IP:
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) January 22, 2025
Billy Wagner: 33.2%
Jacob deGrom: 31.0%
Chris Sale: 30.6%
Blake Snell: 30.2%
Max Scherzer: 29.3%
>>next-highest as RP, same min: Francisco Rodríguez, 28.5%
3,000+ hits and 10+ Gold Gloves:
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) January 21, 2025
Ichiro Suzuki
Roberto Clemente
Al Kaline
Willie Mays
Congratulations to three worthy Hall of Famers!