NEW YORK — The Yankees announced last Wednesday that CC Sabathia’s No. 52 will be retired on Sept. 26 before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. A plaque in his honor will be dedicated in Monument Park. It is the highest distinction the franchise can bestow on a player.
The reaction from fans was overwhelmingly positive. The reaction from one longtime New York Post columnist was not.
Mushnick calls the honor a symbol of lowered standards
Phil Mushnick, the Post’s veteran sports media critic, published a column on Feb. 28 with the headline: “Yankees retiring CC Sabathia’s number shows the sad state of our standard for greatness.” The full piece sits behind a paywall, but the title alone captures the tone.
Mushnick has long had a reputation as a provocative voice in New York sports media. He has been stirring debate in the pages of the Post for decades, and this column landed squarely in that tradition. His argument centers on a familiar complaint: that the Yankees retire too many numbers, and that Sabathia’s credentials do not meet the standard set by the Ruths, Gehrigs and DiMaggios enshrined in Monument Park.
It is a conversation that surfaces every time the Yankees add a name to the wall. The franchise has retired 23 numbers for 24 players, more than any team in baseball. No. 8 belongs to both Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey. The Yankees have even asked their coaches not to wear numbers so more remain available for players.
Sabathia responds with a laugh and an invitation
Sabathia was not bothered. On Saturday, the Hall of Famer reposted Mushnick’s column on X with a response that was equal parts dismissal and charm.
“Ah damn Phil sorry you feel that way…see you 9/26/26,” Sabathia wrote, followed by a string of laughing emojis.
It was classic Sabathia. The same pitcher who was ejected from his final regular season start in 2018 for drilling a Rays batter in defense of a teammate, forfeiting a $500,000 bonus in the process, handled a media critic the way he handled opposing lineups for 19 years: on his own terms, without apology.
The Yankees quietly paid that bonus anyway, because they understood what Sabathia meant to the clubhouse. His manager at the time, Aaron Boone, put it plainly after Sabathia was elected to the Hall of Fame in January 2025.
“He is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer because of his exceptional body of work on the bump, but for me, his greater legacy is the type of teammate he was,” Boone said. “He always put team over self.”
The numbers behind No. 52 tell a different story than Mushnick’s column
CC Sabathia was elected to Cooperstown on his first ballot last January, receiving 86.8 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He was inducted alongside Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner in a ceremony last summer. He chose to wear a Yankees cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.
His career numbers speak clearly. Sabathia went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA across 19 seasons with Cleveland, Milwaukee and the Yankees. His 3,093 strikeouts rank third all-time among left-handers, behind only Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton. He is one of just 15 pitchers in baseball history to reach both 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts.
In 11 seasons with the Yankees, Sabathia posted a 134-88 record with a 3.81 ERA in 307 games. He struck out 1,700 batters and accumulated 29.4 WAR. He was named an All-Star three times in pinstripes and finished in the top four of the Cy Young vote three times as a Yankee.
The crown jewel was October 2009. Sabathia started Game 1 of each of the Yankees’ three postseason series that fall. He went 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA over five starts and 36 1/3 innings during the championship run. He won ALCS MVP after going 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in 16 innings against the Angels. The Yankees captured their 27th World Series title that year. It remains their most recent championship.
He signed a then-record seven-year, $161 million contract before that season and delivered a ring in Year 1.
Sabathia joins the 2009 core in Monument Park
Sabathia will become the fifth member of the 2009 World Series championship roster to have his number retired. Derek Jeter (No. 2), Mariano Rivera (No. 42), Andy Pettitte (No. 46) and Jorge Posada (No. 20) are already there. He will be the first Yankee honored in this way since Paul O’Neill’s No. 21 was retired in August 2022.
“The Yankees was the place that wanted me,” Sabathia said after his Hall of Fame election. “I’ve been here now 16 years. I love the other organizations, but this is home. I found a home in the Bronx and I don’t think I’ll ever leave this city.”
Former captain Jeter echoed the sentiment. “During my career with the Yankees, I had the honor of playing with so many talented players,” Jeter said. “No player exemplified a Hall-of-Fame player and person more than CC Sabathia. His career on the field speaks for itself, but it’s his career as a teammate that stands out the most.”
Mushnick is entitled to his opinion. Sabathia, clearly, is not losing sleep over it. The ceremony is set for Sept. 26. No. 52 is going up on the wall. And as the big lefty made clear on Saturday, anyone who has a problem with it is still welcome to come watch.
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