CC Sabathia, a six-time MLB All-Star, is currently in anticipation of what could be a pivotal milestone in his illustrious 19-year career. As the Baseball Hall of Fame prepares to announce the voting results for its 2025 class, Sabathia expressed his eagerness through social media, sharing a series of emojis in response to an MLB video that highlighted the moment of his final pitch with the New York Yankees.

This marks Sabathia's inaugural appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot following his retirement at the conclusion of the 2019 season. His last performance came during Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros. Current projections are favorable for Sabathia’s chances, as he is displaying a strong standing in the early vote tally. Among the 198 known ballots, along with 11 anonymous or unverifiable ballots submitted by Hall of Fame voters, Sabathia has secured 92.8 percent of the votes. The required threshold for induction into the Hall of Fame is set at 75 percent. Historically, final voting results do see a decrease in percentage, yet it appears highly improbable that Sabathia will drop more than 17.8 percent by the time the official results are finalized.

The 2025 Hall of Fame class is anticipated to include multiple inductees, with Sabathia's vote count currently positioned second, trailing only Ichiro Suzuki, who has appeared on every public ballot thus far. Ichiro is in pursuit of joining Mariano Rivera as the rare players to be elected to the Hall of Fame unanimously. Other potential inductees in this class include Billy Wagner, appearing on the ballot for the last time, and Carlos Beltrán. Sabathia's possible induction holds particular significance, as there are no prominent starting pitching candidates expected to enter the ballot in the near future. First-time eligible players in 2026 include Cole Hamels, Rick Porcello, and Gio Gonzalez, while the top returning pitcher next year is Andy Pettitte, who has drawn 31.6 percent of the public vote during his eighth appearance on the ballot. The chances for Pettitte to leap to the necessary 75 percent before falling off the ballot appear slim. Looking ahead, the next notable pitcher after Sabathia could be Zack Greinke, who has not officially retired despite being inactive since the 2023 season. Following Greinke, the focus will likely turn to the next generation as stars such as Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw approach their eventual retirements. Sabathia’s career spanned from 2001 to 2019, during which he played for three teams, predominantly with the New York Yankees from 2009 to 2019 and clinched a World Series title in his debut year with the franchise. Sabathia commenced his professional journey with the Cleveland Guardians, selected as the 20th pick in the 1998 MLB draft, making his big-league debut in 2001, where he notably finished second to Ichiro in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Over his career, Sabathia was honored with the AL Cy Young award in 2007 and finished among the top five in Cy Young voting on four additional occasions, in addition to being selected for the AL All-Star team six times. He concluded his career with an impressive record of 251 wins to 161 losses, maintaining a 3.74 ERA and achieving 3,093 strikeouts in 561 games. Among pitchers throughout his 19 years in Major League Baseball, Sabathia ranks second all-time in FanGraphs' wins above replacement (WAR), amassing 66.5, trailing only Verlander at 72.0. The announcement for the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.