VALLEJO – Even though he has planted his roots elsewhere in retirement, the rough and tumultuous place where CC Sabathia grew up and the characters that helped him along the best way were still on his mind when he picked up the phone Tuesday afternoon rang with excellent news.
The 44-year-old Sabathia shall be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer alongside Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner, receiving 342 of a possible 394 votes (86.8%) on his first ballot.
He'll go in with a Yankees cap on his shield. But Vallejo shall be in his heart.
“I am very proud to be from Vallejo and the Bay Area,” Sabathia said in a conference call after the announcement. “I think most people know my story at this point, the trials and tribulations I had after Vallejo, so I’m very proud of where I came from and where I am today.”
In case you haven't read his best-selling biography or seen the HBO special, Sabathia's road to Cooperstown began in a troublesome a part of town called “The Crest,” where he threw grapefruits at a folding chair in his grandmother's backyard. Before he achieved 251 wins or 3,093 strikeouts – the 14th pitcher ever to succeed in each milestones – he had to beat a battle with alcoholism, and before that, his own father's drug problems meant that he was raised primarily by his mother, Margie became.
When the stocky 1.90 meter tall left-hander entered eighth grade, he already towered over his classmates.
Abe Hobbs, then the brand new Vallejo High baseball coach, knew he was onto something special when Sabathia's cousins introduced her to him the summer before his freshman yr.
“I can hear their hoarse voices, like today they're saying, 'Coach, you need to meet my cousin,'” Hobbs said in a telephone interview. “I came home and said to my wife, 'I met a man who's going to play in the big leagues.' She said, 'What are you talking about?' that other children don't do.'”
Sabathia starred in three sports at Vallejo High, excelling as a defensive end in the fall, a power forward in the winter and hitting .500 in the spring while hitting 97 mph on the radar. He eventually decided to pitch and was drafted 20th overall by Cleveland. When he made his debut in 2001 at age 20, he became the youngest pitcher in the majors.
Sabathia went 17-5 and finished second in American League Rookie of the Year honors — behind fellow rookie Ichiro — but eventually earned his own hardware in the form of the 2007 AL Cy Young, a 2009 World Series championship with the Yankees and six All -Star appearances.
He hoped he would be drafted by the San Francisco Giants, who had selected Tony Torcato one pick earlier and then thought he would spend his entire career in Cleveland. But 11 of Sabathia's 19 seasons took place in New York, where he now makes his home with his high school sweetheart Amber and their four children, while he worked in the commissioner's office.
Sabathia never forgot where he came from.
“People talk about the dirt and the earth and are so, so proud of where they come from. With CC it’s real,” said Hobbs, who has a relationship with Sabathia. “I’m sure that Vallejo pride was instilled the first time he said the word. … People don’t realize what an amazing accomplishment it is to go from where he was to where he is now.”
Signs of Sabathia's charity can be found everywhere in his hometown, from the North Vallejo Little League field he helped renovate to the high school diamond that now bears his name. Each year he donates $25,000 to Vallejo High Athletics and also hosts free camps and backpacking trips through his PitCCh In foundation.
“I know there are so many people in Vallejo who are so excited about his induction and so excited not only for his accomplishments on the field, but for all the contributions he and his wife Amber have made in our community are grateful,” said Vallejo Mayor Andrea Said Sorce. “They have been such wonderful ambassadors for Vallejo and have made the city so proud.”
Hobbs said he’s expecting a call from Sabathia to have fun and he plans to attend the July 27 ceremony in Cooperstown if he’s invited. Knowing Sabathia, he said, “This will be another catalyst for him to help other people.”
When the decision got here with the news, Sabathia said he was overcome with emotion.
“I just think about my journey, my family, my wife, my father, my mother, all the different people that played a huge role in me getting to where I am today,” he said. “It was just a wave of emotions. Thankful. Blessed. And super happy.”
Originally published:
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