CC Sabathia's Hall of Fame Plaque Different From Other 2025 Inductees in Key Regard

The hats of four of the five members of the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class will have something important in common. The one exception: CC Sabathia.

Sabathia is the only member of the class whose plaque will not feature the hat of his original team. The left-handed pitcher was drafted by Cleveland out of high school in the first round of the 1998 MLB draft, and he wore the Indians' uniform from 2001-08.

But he will not be wearing a "C"-emblazoned hat in Cooperstown — but rather, the Yankees' famed interlocking "NY," the Hall of Fame announced Monday.

Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Billy Wagner, Dick Allen, and Dave Parker will be honored during Induction Weekend in Cooperstown, New York, in July.

Suzuki (Seattle Mariners), Wagner (Houston Astros), Allen (Philadelphia Phillies,) and Parker (Pittsburgh Pirates) will all feature their original teams' hats on their plaques. The Hall of Fame has the final authority to decide which team's logo will adorn its bronze plaques, although players can make their preference known.

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Sabathia, a first-time candidate, earned 342 votes (86.8 percent) after playing 19 seasons — the last 11 with the Yankees. The 44-year-old lefty, a 2007 Cy Young winner and key to the Yankees' 2009 World Series title, retired with 251 wins, 3,093 strikeouts, and a lasting reputation as one of the game's most dominant pitchers.

In January, Suzuki came within a single vote of unanimous election to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, earning 393 votes — 99.746 percent of the total — second only to Derek Jeter's 99.748 percent.

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The outfielder made history by becoming the first Japanese position player in MLB. From his rookie season in Seattle in 2001 until his final at-bat with the Mariners in 2019, Suzuki collected 3,089 hits, including a record-setting 262 in 2004.

Wagner, in his final year of eligibility, received 325 votes (82.5 percent). With 422 career saves and a 2.31 ERA, he ranks among the greatest left-handed relievers of all time.

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Parker played 19 seasons in the major leagues, slugging 339 home runs and posting a .290 batting average with the Pirates, Reds, A's, Brewers, Angels, and Blue Jays.

He and Allen, who passed away on Dec. 7, 2020, at age 78, were elected by a Veterans' committee in December. Allen led his league three times each in slugging percentage and extra-base hits, and he topped the league in OPS four different times. A corner infielder and outfielder with the Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Oakland Athletics, Allen hit 20 or more home runs in a season 10 times.

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