ALPINE – Trays of sandwiches and charcuterie began arriving by mid-afternoon, accompanied by a rush of frigid January air whenever the Sabathias front doors opened.
Soon after, the pizza delivery showed up – stacks of pies, enough to accommodate an entire Little League’s roster.
During his playing days, CC Sabathia was ever the inclusive host, leading Yankees team excursions to NBA games in private suites and the like, making sure everyone – from the biggest star to the newest rookie – felt welcomed.
On Tuesday, the party was arranged for family and close friends, and the celebration was staged around a certain once-in-a-lifetime phone call from Jack O’Connell of the Baseball Writers’ Association.
“Thank you,’’ Sabathia said appreciatively, upon hearing of his election to the Hall of Fame, causing the left-hander’s library-quiet living room to erupt in cheers and applause.
Seated in that same place on his couch, less than two hours earlier, Sabathia reflected on a career more defined by his heart and passion than any one singular event.
“To win, to take the ball every single time out, to be that good teammate and be there for the guys – that’s all I ever wanted,’’ said Sabathia, who earned election to Cooperstown on his first ballot.
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Sabathia enters the Hall of Fame with 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts, more than any lefty except Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton.
There’s a 2007 AL Cy Young Award with Cleveland and a 2009 World Series ring with the Yankees among his collection of trophies from a 19-year career, which only ended when Sabathia could not physically throw another pitch.
“It’s kind of fitting. I threw until I couldn’t anymore,’’ Sabathia said after Game 4 of the 2019 AL Championship Series against Houston, at Yankee Stadium, nursing a partly dislocated left shoulder.
Sabathia put that big left arm around his daughters, Jaeden Arie and Cyia in the immediate celebration of his Hall of Fame election, then embraced his wife, Amber, and youngest son Carter.
Sabathia’s oldest son, Carsten Charles III, was there via face time, away at school and unable to fly in from Houston due to a winter storm, but he was part of the celebration.
His father seemed typically at ease during the day, inviting guests into his home, posing for a photo shoot with the family, and sitting for a brief interview about his career.
“After 2017, it was such a tough loss (in the ALCS vs. Houston) and I was so down and out that I was ready to retire,’’ said Sabathia, who soon received a call that changed his perspective.
It was from Harold Reynolds, the former Seattle Mariners infielder and current MLB Network host, who reminded Sabathia how close he was to 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts – mentioning the likes of Bob Gibson for historic perspective.
“That’s when I really thought, maybe this is something I can do,’’ said Sabathia. “That’s what put me over the top to play the next two years,’’ cementing a Hall of Fame career.
As the celebration continued in his living room, Sabathia locked his mother Margie, in an embrace. From the rocky ballfields around Vallejo, Calif., to Yankee Stadium, her son had forged a Hall of Fame career.
And in pure Sabathia style, it was a time to bring everyone together to share in the moment.
