“That was the first time I really, really thought about it. I was like, ‘Damn, I really want to be in the Hall of Fame.’” Wandering through the plaque gallery in Cooperstown, N.Y., for the first time CC Sabathia felt the weight of history. “I never thought about being in the Hall of Fame when I was playing, but going up there, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, this is cool.’” Now, that surreal dream is a reality, and it’s not just the MLB community celebrating this iconic milestone.

As the news broke out, another New York legend, Carmelo Anthony, couldn’t hide his excitement. Melo took to Instagram, sharing a heartwarming video of Sabathia learning about his Hall of Fame induction. “Congrats family 🙌🏾 @cc_sabathia,” he wrote.

Interestingly, Melo himself is inching closer to similar recognition. With his name in the mix for the 2025 Hall of Fame class, his post carried an extra layer of meaning. But Melo wasn’t the only one showering Sabathia with praise. Former NBA star Matt Barnes also joined the applause.

“Salute bro 🫡,” Barnes wrote on his IG story, recognizing the MLB legend’s remarkable career and their shared history as elite athletes who left their marks on their respective sports. The acknowledgment underscored the respect Sabathia commands not just in baseball circles but across the broader sports world.

And the video that captured the 44-year-old and his family’s wholesome reaction?

A six-time All-Star, Cy Young Award winner, and World Series champion, Sabathia’s now added “first-ballot Hall of Famer” to his resume. With an 86.8% vote, surpassing the 75% benchmark with ease, the honor felt inevitable for someone of his caliber.

Across his 19-year career with the Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Yankees, Sabathia left an unmatched legacy. His 251 wins, 3,093 strikeouts, and over 3,577 innings pitched make him a true workhorse. As one of only three left-handers to achieve at least 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, Sabathia now stands among legends like Steve Carlton and Randy Johnson.

But did you know he almost gave up on his career once?

CC Sabathia’s greatest comeback

It was Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS, and the stakes couldn’t have been higher. CC Sabathia took the mound for the Yankees, hoping to pitch them to their first World Series since 2009. But things didn’t go as planned. After failing to make it out of the fourth inning, Sabathia left the game charged with the loss.

At that moment, retirement felt like the only option. “We come up short, and I was done,” Sabathia recently admitted, reflecting on that season. “I was over it. I was ready to retire.” After 17 grueling seasons in the majors, he had given his all, but the grind and disappointment had taken their toll. It seemed like the end of an incredible career—or so he thought.

But then came the phone call that changed everything. Former MLB player and analyst Harold Reynolds reached out and broke down the stats Sabathia had yet to achieve. “He started telling me all these numbers,” Sabathia recalled. “All these different numbers and how close I was to 3,000 strikeouts, how close I was to 250 wins, and how all these guys that had those numbers are in the Hall of Fame.”

That conversation reignited Sabathia’s fire. With 237 wins and 2,846 strikeouts already under his belt, he decided to give it two more seasons. By mid-2019, he hit those milestones—3,000 strikeouts, 250 wins—joining a club so elite that only two other lefties in MLB history had reached it.

Sabathia didn’t just finish his career; he cemented his legacy as one of the all-time greats.