On his way into the Hall of Fame, CC Sabathia crammed his foot in the door in hopes of keeping it ajar for a teammate.
“For me, Andy’s a Hall of Famer,” Sabathia said this week of Andy Pettitte. “Getting a chance to pitch alongside him, getting a chance to still talk to him pretty much all the time — I believe he’s a Hall of Famer.”
If Sabathia’s words might not pull Pettitte into Cooperstown, perhaps his presence and precedent can.
If Sabathia hit the ballot with the same numbers and same career a few decades ago, he probably would not have been enshrined (and surely not on his first try). His 3.74 ERA is the third-highest ever among Hall of Famers, beating just Jack Morris (3.90) and Red Ruffing (3.80). He had postseason moments and a 2009 World Series ring that he very much earned — but he also held a merely OK 4.28 career ERA in 26 postseason games. For the final seven seasons of his career, Sabathia touted a 97 ERA+: For a very long stretch, he rated as a below-average pitcher.