Like dory telling Nemo to keep swimming, CC Sabathia always told himself to keep pitching. That’s how he became one of the best pitchers of the 21st century.
The California-born pitcher debuted as the youngest baseball player in MLB but retired as the best pitcher in history.
CC Sabathia played most of his career with Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees.
The pitcher set several records in his 19-year baseball career and earned several titles and awards.
To name a few, Sabathia is six times all-star, three times Warren Spahn Award recipient, two times AL shutouts leaders, and World Series Champion.
The baseball star had stellar stats and a fantastic career until 2013. What happened to Sabathia, and why did his peaking career suddenly go downhill? Make sure to read to the end.
Apart from this, the article will take you on the journey of CC Sabathia on how he became a baseball legend and his life after retirement.
But, before we dive into the details, let’s take a look at his quick facts first.
Quick Facts
| Name | CC Sabathia |
| Full Name | Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. |
| Nick Name | CC |
| Date of Birth | July 21, 1980 |
| Age | 43 years old |
| Birth Place | Vallejo, California |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 feet 7 inches (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 136 Kg |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Father’s Name | Carsten Charles Sabathia Senior |
| Mother’s Name | Margie Sabathia |
| Siblings | Not available |
| High School | Vallejo High School |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Amber Sabathia |
| Kids | Four children; Carsten Charles III, Jaeden Arie , Cydia Sabathia and Carter Sabathia. |
| Profession | Former baseball player |
| League |
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| Teams Played |
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| Position | Pitcher |
| Bats and Throws | Left batting and left throwing |
| Active Years | 2001 – 2019 |
| Debut Date | April 8, 2001 |
| Retirement Date | October 21, 2019 |
| Major Achievement |
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| Net Worth | $155 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Facebook, Twitter |
| Merch | Till The End (Hardcover) |
| Last Update | March, 2024 |
CC Sabathia | Early Life
Born on July 21, 1980, CC Sabathia is son of Carsten Charles Sabathia Senior and Margie Sabathia.
Sabathia spent his childhood in his hometown Vallejo, California. There is not much information about Sabathia’s siblings, so it’s unclear if he is the only child in his family.
However, when Sabathia was 12 years old, his parents divorced. Her mother took custody of Sabathia, and a single mom raised him.
His mother worked several jobs to meet financial needs as a single parent. Thus, Sabathia was mostly raised by his grandmother.
His grandmother used to call Sabathia by C.C, which became his official nickname later on. Despite the divorce, Sabathia had a good relationship with his father.
Sabathia’s father was a sports fanatic, and so was Sabathia. His father’s interest in sports had a considerable role in Sabathia to develop an interest in sports.
Sabathia was interested in most sports, but he was more inclined to baseball.
He used to play baseball by throwing grapefruits at a folding chair. Also, he insisted on going to stadiums to watch live games.
CC Sabathia | Education
Sabathia attended Vallejo High School, where he polished his football, basketball, and baseball skills.
He was in Major League Baseball youth program, where he set top records in his school. As a result, he was the top high school prospect.
Sabathia was equally good at football and thus, received scholarships from various universities, including UCLA, to play college football.
But, the baseball lover was more inclined to baseball than football. Thus, instead of joining the University, he went to play minor league baseball.
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CC Sabathia | Professional Career
The Draft and Pre-Olympics
CC Sabathia was drafted 20th overall in the first round of the 1998 MLB draft by the Cleveland Indians. He signed the contract for $1.3 million and spent three seasons in the Indians’ minor league.
In 2000, Sabathia was selected to the United States Olympic Team. He played in one pre-Olympic tournament game in Sydney, Australia.
However, he was called up by the Cleveland Indians and thus, couldn’t play for the team in the Olympics.
The same year, Sabathia was selected Minor League Player of the Year by the Indians and received the Lou Boudreau Award.
Major League Debut and Career Peaks
Sabathia became the youngest player in the Major Leagues when he debuted in 2001 at the age of 20.
He signed a four-year, $9.5 million contract with the Indians on February 23, 2002. The same year, he was chosen to the American League All-Star team for the first time.
In 2005, Sabathia’s fastball averaged 94.7 miles per hour, making him the fastest pitcher. The following season, Sabathia played six complete games where he showed his terrific performance.
In 2007, Sabathia became the youngest pitcher in history to reach the century mark and received the national spotlight.
Thus, he was awarded AL Cy Young Award. Apart from this, he won several awards such as Players Choice Award for Outstanding AL Pitcher and Warren Spahn Award.
Later, Sabathia was traded to Milwaukee Brewers on July 7, 2008. Despite being traded, he showed his stellar performance, which caught the attention of the New York Yankees.
On December 19, 2008, Sabathia signed a seven-year, $161 million contract with the New York Yankees. At the time, it was the most expensive contract ever given to a pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Sabathia had a fantastic career with New York Yankees, and he was the dominant pitcher in MLB, with several records and awards in his pockets.
The pitcher was named the American League Pitcher of the Month and the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series (ALCS).
He won the Warren Spahn Award for the third consecutive year, becoming the first Yankee pitcher since Andy Pettitte in 2003.
The Struggles and Downfall
However, Sabathia struggled with several injuries in the 2013 season. He couldn’t play the entire season, and this affected his statistics.
As a result, Sabathia was added to the disabled list. My career went downhill after 2013. He went through several injuries and had to get several surgeries.
Apart from this, his major downfall came in 2015 when he started drinking heavily. He became an alcoholic, which severely impacted his personal and professional life.
Thus, he went to rehab to treat his alcoholism, getting way out of his hands. Sabathia says hadn’t he gone to the rehab, the alcohol would have probably killed him.
After returning from rehab, Sabathia played for four more seasons, where he played amazingly well. He picked up from where it started going downhill and returned to the track.
However, In 2019, Sabathia’s had a blockage in one artery of his heart and went to surgery to insert a stent to clear the blockage. The doctors recommended Sabathia not play baseball anymore.
Retirement
On October 21, 2019, Sabathia officially announced his retirement from baseball. He also left a heartfelt note to his fans and teammates.
Sabathia said that he believes he was born to play basketball, and he feels grateful to play baseball. He noted that baseball always felt like a home to him, though his baseball career was full of ups and downs.
He also added that he feels thankful to have experienced this beautiful baseball journey and is grateful to his fans and teammates who accompanied him on the trip.
Sabathia bid farewell to everyone and ended his eleven-year baseball career with a heavy heart.
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CC Sabathia | Off The Court
Apart from baseball, CC Sabathia also had his hands in several other fields, including podcasts, writing books, and filmography.
In 2017, Sabathia started a podcast for the player’s tribune, which later moved to an uninterrupted podcast network next year.
HBO also released a documentary, namely Under the Grapefruit Tree, which featured the life story of Sabathia in 2020.
In 2021, CC Sabathia published a book named ‘Till The End‘ where he wrote about his baseball journey.
CC Sabathia | Awards and Achievements
- Six times All-Star selection (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010–2012)
- World Series champion (2009)
- ALCS MVP (2009)
- AL Cy Young Award (2007)
- Three times Warren Spahn Award recipient (2007–2009)[125]
- Two times MLB wins leader (2009, 2010)
- Two times AL shutouts leader (2006, 2008)
- NL shutouts leader (2008)
CC Sabathia | Wife and Children
Sabathia is married to his long-term girlfriend, Amber. The couple met and started dating in high school.
The high school sweethearts finally married on June 9, 2003.
The couple is blessed with four children. His son Carsten Charles III was born in 2003, and his daughter Jaeden Arie was born in 2005.
In 2008, Amber gave birth to their third baby, namely Cydia, and finally 2010, they had a son named Carter.
The family initially lived in Fairfield, California, outside his hometown of Vallejo, near San Francisco. Later, the family moved to Alpine, New Jersey.
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CC Sabathia | Net Worth
Sabathia is one of the richest baseball players, with an estimated net worth of $155 million.
Sabathia signed his rookie contract with the Cleveland Indians for a whopping amount of $1.3 million. He later signed a four-year contract with them worth $ 9.5 million.
In 2008, Sabathia signed the largest contract for a pitcher in MLB history, worth $161 million. It was the most expensive contract of that time.
In 2017, he was in 61st place on Forbes’s list of The World’s Highest-paid Athletes. He had signed a one-year contract worth $10 million with New York Yankees that year.
Similarly, Sabathia earned millions of fortunes as a baseball player and lives a luxurious life even after retirement.
Facts
- Vallejo High School established “CC Sabathia Day” to pay homage to Sabathia and renamed the school’s baseball field as Sabathia’s PitCCh In Foundation to modernize the area.
- In an essay for ‘The Players’ Tribune, Sabathia has poured out his battle with alcoholism.
- The squad Cleveland Indians declared a Cleveland baseball field in his honor, named “CC Sabathia Field at Luke Easter Park,” in 2021.
Social Media Presence
CC Sabathia loves to be virtually connected to his fans and admirers, which is why he is active on most social media platforms.
The baseball star has verified social media profiles with many followings.
Sabathia frequently posts about his family, games, and friends. His social media are like a bridge that helps to connect the fans to their world.
Thus, if you want to know more about Sabathia and get an update about his life, make sure to follow him on his social media handles.
FAQS
Is CC Sabathia inducted into the hall of fame?
No, CC Sabathia is not yet inducted into the Hall of fame. However, based on his fantastic performance, there is a high chance he will be inducted into the Hall of fame very soon.
What are the overall MLB statistics for CC Sabathia?
Out of 412 total games played, CC Sabathia has won 251 games with a run average of 3.74 and 3,093 strikeouts.
Did CC Sabathia have weight loss surgery?
No, CC Sabathia did not have any weight loss surgery. He started dieting after getting arthroscopic surgery in 2010. He wanted to lose weight to prevent potential problems in his knees and heart.
CC adopted a ketogenic diet, undertook major exercises to lose weight, and worked on it for several years.
