The New York Yankees revealed Wednesday evening that Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia will see his jersey number 52 permanently retired during a ceremony on September 26th, taking place before the team’s matchup with the Baltimore Orioles.
The ceremony will also include the unveiling of a commemorative plaque honoring Sabathia at Monument Park, located beyond Yankee Stadium’s center field wall.
This distinction makes Sabathia the 24th individual to have his uniform number permanently retired by the Yankees organization. The last player to receive this recognition was Paul O’Neill, whose number 21 was retired in 2022. While 23 different numbers have been retired overall, number 8 holds special significance as it honors both Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey.
Sabathia will stand alongside his former Yankees teammates Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte, who also have monuments in the prestigious Monument Park area.
The left-handed pitcher earned six All-Star selections throughout his career and captured the American League Cy Young Award in 2007 while playing for Cleveland. His first year in pinstripes proved memorable, as he helped lead the Yankees to a World Series championship in 2009 after joining the team as a free agent.
During his impressive 19-year major league career spanning time with Cleveland (2001-08), Milwaukee (2008), and the Yankees (2009-19), Sabathia compiled a 251-161 record with a 3.74 earned run average and struck out 3,093 batters. His strikeout total ranks third all-time among left-handed pitchers, trailing only Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton. In his 11 seasons wearing Yankees pinstripes, he posted a 134-88 record with a 3.81 ERA and recorded 1,700 strikeouts.
Baseball writers elected Sabathia to the Hall of Fame on his first opportunity in 2025, cementing his legacy among the sport’s greatest players.
The complete list of Yankees players with retired numbers includes: Billy Martin (1), Derek Jeter (2), Babe Ruth (3), Lou Gehrig (4), Joe DiMaggio (5), Joe Torre (6), Mickey Mantle (7), Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey (8), Roger Maris (9), Phil Rizzuto (10), Thurman Munson (15), Whitey Ford (16), Jorge Posada (20), Paul O’Neill (21), Don Mattingly (23), Elston Howard (32), Casey Stengel (37), Mariano Rivera (42), Reggie Jackson (44), Andy Pettitte (46), Ron Guidry (49), and Bernie Williams (51).
Additionally, Jackie Robinson’s number 42 was permanently retired across all of Major League Baseball in 1997.
