FEBRUARY 25, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
YANKEES TO HONOR CC SABATHIA WITH UNIFORM NUMBER RETIREMENT AND MONUMENT PARK PLAQUE
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CEREMONY TO TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, PRIOR TO YANKEES’ 7:05 P.M. GAME VS. BALTIMORE
The New York Yankees today announced that CC Sabathia will have his place among Yankees legends cemented with the retirement of his No. 52 and the dedication of a plaque in his honor in Monument Park. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 26, prior to the Yankees’ 7:05 p.m. game vs. Baltimore. Fans can purchase tickets at www.yankees.com.
Sabathia becomes the 24th Yankees player or manager to have his number retired and the first since Paul O’Neill (21) on August 21, 2022. Other Yankees teammates from Sabathia’s playing days to have had their numbers retired are Derek Jeter (2), Andy Pettitte (46), Jorge Posada (20) and Mariano Rivera (42). Sabathia’s No. 52 is the 23rd number retired by the Yankees, as No. 8 was retired for catchers Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra on July 22, 1972.
Sabathia was signed by the Yankees as a free agent on December 18, 2008, and led the team to a World Series championship in his first season with the club, going 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA in 34 starts in 2009. That postseason, the Yankees went 4-1 in his five starts, and he earned the ALCS MVP Award, going 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA (16.0IP, 9H, 2ER, 3BB, 12K, 1HR) in the Yankees’ six-game series win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Over his first four seasons with the Yankees (2009-12), the Vallejo, Calif., native went 74-29 (.718) with a 3.22 ERA and nine complete games in 129 starts, logging 905.0 innings pitched and making three AL All-Star teams (2010-12). He led the Majors in winning pct. over that stretch (min: 50 dec.), and was second in wins, third in innings pitched and sixth in strikeouts (821).
In his 11 seasons in pinstripes (2009-19), the lefthander posted a 134-88 (.604) record with a 3.81 ERA (1,918.0IP, 811ER) and 1,700K in 307 games (306 starts). In franchise history, he ranks fourth in strikeouts, seventh in starts, 10th in wins and 11th in innings pitched. Among Yankees pitchers who began their MLB careers with another team, he is first in strikeouts, second in starts (behind Hall of Famer Red Ruffing) and fifth in wins. He is one of five pitchers in franchise history to make at least six Opening Day starts (2009-14) and only the second to make at least six Opening Day starts in consecutive seasons, joining Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez (1932-37).
As a Yankee in the postseason, Sabathia went 8-4 with a 3.42 ERA (105.1IP, 40ER) in 21 games (18 starts), and in home playoff contests at Yankee Stadium, he went 5-2 with a 2.17 ERA (49.2IP, 12ER) in 10 games (eight starts). Sabathia went undefeated over eight consecutive postseason starts with the Yankees from November 1, 2009 (World Series Game 4 at Philadelphia) through October 12, 2012 (ALDS Game 5 vs. Baltimore), marking the fifth-longest stretch of undefeated playoff starts by a Yankee in franchise history (Roger Clemens-10, Andy Pettitte-9, Orlando Hernández-9 and David Cone-9).
Regarded as a clubhouse leader and exceptional teammate, Sabathia’s goodwill and generosity was mirrored in his profound engagement with the community. In 2008, he and his wife, Amber, established the “PitCCh In” Foundation, which remains committed to the care and needs of inner-city children, helping to raise their self-esteem through sports activity and education. Regular programming includes field renovations, All-Star baseball clinics, the Nathan Berhel Scholarship at Vallejo High School, backpack giveaways, mentorship programs and a holiday caravan at the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club.
One of his generation’s greatest pitchers, Sabathia was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025. In 19 Major League seasons with Cleveland (2001-08), Milwaukee (2008) and the Yankees, he totaled a 251-161 (.609) record with a 3.74 ERA, 38 complete games, 12 shutouts and 3,093K in 561 games (560 starts). He is one of only four left-handed pitchers in Major League history to reach the 3,000K plateau, joining Randy Johnson (4,875), Steve Carlton (4,136) and Clayton Kershaw (3,052).
—nyy—