CC Sabathia

Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr., born on July 21, 1980, is a celebrated American former professional baseball pitcher who left an indelible mark on Major League Baseball (MLB) over a remarkable nineteen-season career. Known for his left-handed batting and throwing, Sabathia made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians in 2001, quickly establishing himself as a formidable talent. He finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year Award voting, just behind the legendary Ichiro Suzuki.

During his tenure with the Indians, Sabathia achieved significant milestones, including winning the prestigious Cy Young Award in 2007. He played a pivotal role in leading the Indians to the AL Central Division title that same year, marking their first postseason appearance since his rookie season. A mid-season trade in 2008 saw him join the Milwaukee Brewers, where he helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time in twenty-six years.

In the offseason of 2008, Sabathia signed a groundbreaking seven-year contract worth one hundred sixty-one million dollars with the New York Yankees, the largest ever for a pitcher at that time. His tenure with the Yankees was marked by success, as he led MLB in wins in both 2009 and 2010, culminating in a World Series championship in 2009. Sabathia's resilience shone through as he overcame mid-career challenges, including injuries and personal struggles, to reinvent himself as a control pitcher before retiring after the 2019 season.

Throughout his illustrious career, Sabathia was honored as an All-Star six times and won the Warren Spahn Award three consecutive years from 2007 to 2009. He made history in August 2017 by becoming the all-time American League leader in strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher. On April 30, 2019, he joined an elite group as the seventeenth pitcher in MLB history to reach three thousand strikeouts. Upon his retirement, he led all active players in career wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts, finishing with two hundred fifty-one victories, tying him with Bob Gibson for the second-most wins by a Black pitcher in MLB history. In 2025, Sabathia was rightfully inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.