CC Sabathia’s career ended abruptly. Yes, the longtime Yankees left-hander had announced months earlier his plans to retire after the 2019 season, but his final appearance did not go as ceremoniously as Derek Jeter’s or Mariano Rivera’s.

CC Sabathia is a first-ballot Hall of Famer with historic numbers, but he almost cut the end of his Yankees career short.

The five newcomers, including Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27, 2025, in Cooperstown, New York.

Suzuki became the first Japanese player chosen for the Hall, falling one vote shy of unanimous when he was elected along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, a former Houston Astros closer.

Suzuki came in first in terms of voting with 393, making history as the first Japanese-born player elected to the Hall of Fame. He was close to making history again as he was nearly unanimous– and he would have been in some pretty weighty company to share with Yankee legends Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.

The Yankees will have a pair of new representatives in the Baseball Hall of Fame in CC Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki after the 2025 voting results.

Lefty pitchers Billy Wagner and CC Sabathia both earned their spots in the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining near-unanimous selection Ichiro

HOUSTON - Former Houston Astros pitcher Billy Wagner is headed to Cooperstown. Wagner was elected to the MLB Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Wagner will be officially inducted, along with Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, in Cooperstown, New York on Sunday, July 27.

That was one of the best debut seasons ever. Ichiro was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove award in right field. He not only coasted to the Rookie of the Year award but narrowly surpassed Jason Giambi to win the MVP. He joined Fred Lynn as the only rookies to be named the Most Valuable Player.

Ichiro Suzuki is the first Japanese-born player voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He'll be joined by CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner in the Class of 2025.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia and Houston Astros relief pitcher Billy Wagner were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on ...

Voting for the Hall of Fame is an incredible honor, and it’s something I and the others who have those votes spend a great deal of time on. I don’t think a day goes by when I don’t spend at least a few minutes thinking about next year’s vote.