CC Sabathia
The southpaw's 2008 rental season in Milwaukee remains one of the most impactful midseason acquisitions in baseball history. Sabathia posted a 1.65 ERA over 17 starts after the July trade, dragging the Brewers to their first playoff berth in 26 years while throwing on three days' rest down the stretch.
That Cy Young campaign showcased peak Sabathia: a 6-foot-7 workhorse who could overpower hitters with a mid-90s fastball and devastating slider. His 3,093 career strikeouts and 251 wins tell the story of remarkable durability in an era when pitcher workloads steadily declined.
The 2025 Hall of Fame inductee bridged generations, from the Steroid Era slugfests of his Cleveland youth to the analytical revolution of his Yankees twilight. His postseason excellence — including a crucial 2009 World Series title — cemented his legacy as October's most reliable starter.
Career · Hitting
19 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | CLE | 33 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2002 | CLE | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .533 | 71 |
| 2003 | CLE | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 1.000 | 133 |
| 2004 | CLE | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .500 | 66 |
| 2005 | CLE | 31 | 6 | 1 | 4 | .333 | 1.333 | 178 |
| 2006 | CLE | 28 | 9 | 0 | 2 | .222 | .444 | 58 |
| 2007 | CLE | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .667 | 1.333 | 176 |
| 2008 | MIL | 35 | 51 | 2 | 7 | .235 | .627 | 84 |
| 2009 | NYY | 34 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .500 | 67 |
| 2010 | NYY | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .400 | 55 |
| 2011 | NYY | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2012 | NYY | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2013 | NYY | 32 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2014 | NYY | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2015 | NYY | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2016 | NYY | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2017 | NYY | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .250 | 33 |
| 2018 | NYY | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | NYY | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| Career | 562 | 121 | 3 | 15 | .207 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
19 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | CLE | 33 | 180.3 | 17 | 5 | 4.39 | 100 | 171 | 1.353 |
| 2002 | CLE | 33 | 210.0 | 13 | 11 | 4.37 | 98 | 149 | 1.362 |
| 2003 | CLE | 30 | 197.7 | 13 | 9 | 3.60 | 122 | 141 | 1.295 |
| 2004 | CLE | 30 | 188.0 | 11 | 10 | 4.12 | 108 | 139 | 1.319 |
| 2005 | CLE | 31 | 196.7 | 15 | 10 | 4.03 | 106 | 161 | 1.256 |
| 2006 | CLE | 28 | 192.7 | 12 | 11 | 3.22 | 140 | 172 | 1.173 |
| 2007 | CLE | 34 | 241.0 | 19 | 7 | 3.21 | 139 | 209 | 1.141 |
| 2008 | MIL | 35 | 253.0 | 17 | 10 | 2.70 | 160 | 251 | 1.115 |
| 2009 | NYY | 34 | 230.0 | 19 | 8 | 3.37 | 128 | 197 | 1.148 |
| 2010 | NYY | 34 | 237.7 | 21 | 7 | 3.18 | 128 | 197 | 1.191 |
| 2011 | NYY | 33 | 237.3 | 19 | 8 | 3.00 | 131 | 230 | 1.226 |
| 2012 | NYY | 28 | 200.0 | 15 | 6 | 3.38 | 119 | 197 | 1.140 |
| 2013 | NYY | 32 | 211.0 | 14 | 13 | 4.78 | 81 | 175 | 1.370 |
| 2014 | NYY | 8 | 46.0 | 3 | 4 | 5.28 | 71 | 48 | 1.478 |
| 2015 | NYY | 29 | 167.3 | 6 | 10 | 4.73 | 84 | 137 | 1.422 |
| 2016 | NYY | 30 | 179.7 | 9 | 12 | 3.91 | 107 | 152 | 1.319 |
| 2017 | NYY | 27 | 148.7 | 14 | 5 | 3.69 | 118 | 120 | 1.271 |
| 2018 | NYY | 29 | 153.0 | 9 | 7 | 3.65 | 113 | 140 | 1.314 |
| 2019 | NYY | 23 | 107.3 | 5 | 8 | 4.95 | 91 | 107 | 1.407 |
| Career | 561 | 3577.4 | 251 | 161 | — | — | 3093 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.