Aaron Judge's Past CC Sabathia Stance Resurfaces Amid Yankees Icon's Hall of Fame Bid

A legendary CC Sabathia story that was re-told on Tuesday before MLB Hall of Fame ballots are released includes a telling quote from Aaron Judge.

Dec 21, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Aaron Judge speaks during a press conference after being named captain at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images / Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

The results of the 2025 MLB Hall of Fame ballot will be released on the evening of January 21.

There is a ton of excitement about these results within the New York Yankees fanbase. While nothing is guaranteed at this point, all indications are that Yankees legend CC Sabathia will receive the 75% support required, which will get him inducted and immortalized in Cooperstown.

Sabathia (who has made it clear that his Cooperstown plaque would show him wearing a Yankees hat) spent over seven seasons with the Yankees. In his MLB career, he produced 251 wins, a 3.74 ERA, and 3,093 strikeouts (making him one of 19 pitchers in league history in the 3,000-strikeout club) over 3,577.1 innings.

Despite his staggering success on the mound, Sabathia’s impact might be more keenly felt in the clubhouse. This is shown in a January 21 article from The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, which re-told a classic Sabathia story.

“It was Sept. 27, 2018. Sabathia was set on revenge against the Tampa Bay Rays, after reliever Andrew Kittredge aimed a 93-mph fastball at [Yankees catcher Austin] Romine’s head and narrowly missed in the top of the sixth inning with the New York Yankees ahead, 7-0, at Tropicana Field,” Kuty wrote.

“He decided he was going to hit catcher Jesús Sucre to lead off the bottom of the inning to send a message. He was going to do it even it meant getting ejected and finishing the season just short of a contract incentive that would have netted him $500,000.”

Kuty later continued, “After Sabathia forfeited the half-a-million dollar bonus by plunking Sucre on the butt and getting thrown out, he pointed to Kittredge in the Rays’ dugout and TV cameras could read his lips:

“That’s for you, b****.”

After the game, Sabathia’s teammate and 2024 AL MVP Aaron Judge was quoted saying, “That’s the type of guy you want to go to battle with.”

It’s stories like these that make it clear why Sabathia is so beloved by Judge and his other former teammates. And there’s no doubt that all of these teammates will have smiles on their faces if (and when) Sabathia earns his trip to Cooperstown on Tuesday evening.