Joe Mauer Lauds CC Sabathia’s Hall of Fame CredentialsJoe Mauer Lauds CC Sabathia’s Hall of Fame Credentials At the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Joe Mauer expressed his support for the inclusion of former Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia in the prestigious hall. Mauer, who batted .196 against Sabathia during their regular season encounters, acknowledged his exceptional talent and competitive spirit. “CC was the first pitcher I faced in the big leagues… I thought to myself after the game, ‘Jeez, if the big leagues are like this, it’s going to be pretty tough,'” Mauer remarked. Sabathia, known for his dominance on the mound, boasts an impressive career record of 251 wins, a .609 winning percentage, and 3,093 strikeouts. He joins a select group of pitchers with such notable achievements. While the Hall of Fame induction decision lies beyond Mauer’s control, he holds Sabathia in high regard. The 2025 Hall of Fame voting may consider Sabathia’s eligibility. In other news related to the Hall of Fame: * Joe Castiglione, the longtime Red Sox radio announcer, has been honored with the Ford C. Frick Award for his broadcasting excellence. * Former Marlins GM and Yankees assistant GM, Kim Ng, has joined the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s board of directors.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Joe Mauer never had much luck at the plate against CC Sabathia, but he still managed to become the only catcher to win three batting titles and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first try.
The six-time All-Star with Minnesota will be inducted Sunday. Sabathia will first become eligible when the BBWAA’s Class of 2025 voting begins later this year.
Mauer believes the former Yankees left-hander also belongs in the Hall of Fame.
“I personally do, but I know it’s not up to me,” Mauer said when asked by Newsday during a meet-the-media session Saturday at Clark Sports Center, the site of the induction. “But yeah, he’s one of those talents and one of those players.”
Sabathia is one of five pitchers to ever record at least 250 wins (251), a .600 winning percentage (.609) and 3,000 strikeouts (3,093), all over 19 seasons, the last 11 of which were with the Yankees.
Mauer, who had a .306 batting average in 15 seasons with the Twins, batted .196 against Sabathia in the regular season. He was 9-for-46, had no homers and four RBIs.
“CC was the first pitcher I faced in the big leagues, on Opening Day in ’04,” said Mauer, who singled and retired him in that game against Cleveland. “I thought to myself after the game, ‘Jeez, if the big leagues are like this, it’s going to be pretty tough.’
“I’ve had a lot of fights with CC over the years. Just an unbelievable competitor. Great stuff… He’s one of the tougher guys I’ve had to go up against, that’s for sure.”
The 2025 class may have ties to New York.
Ichiro Suzuki, who had 311 of his 3,089 major-league hits in three seasons with the Yankees, is a first-ballot lock. And former Mets closer Billy Wagner is entering his final year of eligibility after coming up five votes short last time around.
Notes and quotes: Joe Castiglione, in his 42nd season as radio play-by-play voice for the Red Sox, has received the Ford C. Frick Award for outstanding achievement in broadcasting … Former Marlins GM and Yankees assistant GM Kim Ng has been named to the board of directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “She has brought knowledge and passion to the game during three decades as one of baseball’s most respected administrators,” board chair Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement.
Brian Heyman covers high school, college and professional sports. He joined Newsday in 2021 and previously worked as a sportswriter for The Journal News in White Plains and The Hudson Dispatch in Union City, New Jersey. His work has appeared in The New York Times, MLB.com and Baseball Digest magazine.
