The New York Yankees are making CC Sabathia a permanent fixture in the Bronx. The club announced Wednesday that Sabathia’s No. 52 will be retired and a plaque in his honor will be dedicated in Monument Park before the Yankees’ Sept. 26 game against the Baltimore Orioles, a capstone tribute to a 19-season major-league run and 11 years in pinstripes.
The ceremony is scheduled ahead of the 7:05 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, Sept. 26, with the team noting that tickets are available through the Yankees’ website. The club also said Sabathia will become the 24th player or manager to have his number retired, and the first since Paul O’Neill in 2022, according to MLB.com. The honor follows his 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame induction, giving fans an official Bronx stamp on a career they have already treated as legendary.
From the first number that hung in my locker to 52 forever hanging in Monument Park - this HOF journey has come full circle. To have my number retired by the New York Yankees this year is one of the greatest honors of my life. The LegaCCy continues.
— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) February 25, 2026
Sabathia’s Reaction
Sabathia weighed in on the news on X, calling the number retirement “one of the greatest honors” of his life and saying his Hall of Fame journey had “come full circle.” In his post on X, he thanked his teammates and the fans who backed him throughout his career, framing the Monument Park moment as an extension of the “LegaCCy” he likes to reference.
Sabathia’s Career, In Brief
During his 11 seasons in New York from 2009 to 2019, Sabathia went 134–88 with a 3.81 ERA and 1,700 strikeouts across 307 games. For his full career, he totaled 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts. He claimed ALCS MVP honors in 2009 and helped lead the Yankees to a World Series title that same year. Those numbers and milestones helped lock in his first-ballot trip to Cooperstown in 2025, according to Baseball-Reference.
How His Career Ended
Sabathia’s final big-league outings came in the 2019 postseason, when he exited Game 4 of the ALCS after dislocating his left shoulder. The injury forced the Yankees to take him off the roster and effectively confirmed the end of his playing days. He later said he had “thrown until I couldn't anymore” after leaving the mound to a standing ovation, as reported by ESPN.
Ceremony Details And What Fans Should Expect
The Yankees said the Sabathia plaque dedication will be part of the Sept. 26 pregame program at Yankee Stadium. No. 52 will be added to the Monument Park wall, becoming technically the 23rd retired jersey shown there because No. 8 is shared by two players. The team said additional details on the ceremony and ticketing will be posted on its website, per MLB.com.
For fans in the Bronx, the night doubles as a celebration of Sabathia’s presence in the clubhouse and his postseason toughness, qualities highlighted again when he entered Cooperstown in 2025. His Monument Park plaque will give supporters a permanent stop to relive those moments and that era of Yankees baseball, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
