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On Sunday, former Red Sox star David Ortiz lauded Yankees legend CC Sabathia after he was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame. Sabathia, who posted a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts in 3,577.1 innings over 19 seasons, was inducted into Cooperstown alongside Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki and former pitcher Billy Wagner.
Moments after his Hall of Fame induction, Sabathia was praised by his former rival. Ortiz, who has faced Sabathia many times at the plate during the iconic Red Sox-Yankees matchups, had nothing but praise for the former Cy Young winner.
Ortiz posted a story on social media, where he shared an image from Cooperstown featuring Sabathia’s Hall of Fame exhibit and wrote:
"It was an honor to compete against you. You made the game better and more fun. I wish I had the opportunity to play with you. Welcome to Cooperstown my brother @cc_sabathia."
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CC Sabathia has thrown to David Ortiz in 27 games during his Hall of Fame career. He has allowed 16 hits, two home runs and six walks while recording 18 strikeouts against the "Big Papi." Ortiz was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.
CC Sabathia reveals the best decision he made involving the Yankees and Dodgers
After completing his lone season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, CC Sabathia had to decide on where to sign in free agency. Among the many teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees were favored to earn his signing.
During his Hall of Fame speech on Sunday, Sabathia reflected about the decision on how he was about to sign with the Dodgers since it would bring him closer to his hometown of Vallejo, California.
“I definitely didn’t want to go to New York and play for the Yankees, the furthest team away,” Sabathia said.
However, it was his wife, Amber, and his agent at the time, who convinced the southpaw that they could build a good future in New York.
“Winning mattered, and money made a difference, but my free agent decision was really about where we were going to spend our lives,” Sabathia said. “We had three kids, and we wanted to plant roots. That’s what we talked about. That’s how we made the best decision we ever made.”
16 years later, it turned out to be the best decision Sabathia made and Yankees fans will admit as much as they celebrate the legacy of their most esteemed starting pitchers.
