CC Sabathia on 'shock' of Yankees adding him to Monument Park, what he hopes fans remember forever

Baseball Hall of Famer CC Sabathia discussed the New York Yankees honoring him with the retirement of his number 52 after spending 11 seasons with the franchise, and helping them win a World Series in 2009.

CC Sabathia was already immortalized in baseball history after being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025, but he will be joining an even more exclusive club in the Bronx later this year.

The New York Yankees will retire Sabathia's No. 52, adding him as the 23rd recipient of one of the greatest honors in sports. Sabathia's name and number will enter the hallowed baseball ground that is Monument Park, which sits behind the center field wall at Yankee Stadium – a place Sabathia had always admired but never thought he would enter even today, let alone 2009 when he joined the team as a free agent.

After 11 seasons with the franchise, and one World Series ring among other accolades, he got the call from owner Hal Steinbrenner.

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CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte pose for a photo before honoring CC Sabathia's Hall of Fame pregame ceremony prior to the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 7, 2025 in New York, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

"I just keep thinking about what a complete honor it is, and how excited I am to actually have my number retired by, probably, one of the best sports franchises in the world," Sabathia told Fox News Digital two days after he got the call that his number would be retired. "When you first show up in New York, you see all the numbers. You understand Monument Park, but you never think you can get there, right? As a free agent, you’re coming in like, ‘I can never do enough to