“All part of the HOF memories” - Yankees legend CC Sabathia pens heartfelt thanks after roadside rescue on way to Cooperstown

Following a stellar 19 seasons in the major leagues, former All-Star pitcher CC Sabathia is getting inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend.

While Sabathia was elected to the Hall of Fame in January in his first year of eligibility, receiving 86.8 percent of the votes, his route to Cooperstown was met with unexpected turbulence.

As the legendary New York Yankees pitcher headed to Cooperstown on Thursday for the Hall of Fame weekend, CC Sabathia's car broke down near the Palisades Parkway in upstate New York. With his family stranded, the Yankees legend asked for help on X:

“Car broke down on the way to Cooperstown. Anyone headed that way?”

The former Cy Young winner played for the Yankees for nearly a decade and helped the team to a World Series title in his first season with the franchise in 2009. Given his reputation as a fan-favorite, Sabathia received swift aid from fans.

"Made it to Cooperstown!! Damn y’all are some real ones to offer rides and everything 😂 Much love! It’s all part of the HOF memories," Sabathia updated on X.

The 45-year-old will be inducted into Cooperstown on Sunday along with former teammate and Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki and Houston Astros icon Billy Wagner.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash