Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and legendary New York Yankees starter CC Sabathia has told the story many times: Dave Stewart changed his mindset forever at just 9 years old in his hometown Vallejo, California.
Stewart, a three-time World Series champion and World Series MVP during his time pitching for the Oakland Athletics, made a surprise visit to Sabathia’s Boys and Girls Club when he was just a kid. Stewart shared a message of inspiration, and it’s one that stuck with a fellow African American major league great who just so happened to hoist his own World Series trophy in a town known best for their hardware on the diamond.
It’s hard to become a Yankees legend, and it’s even harder to find your name amongst the rarest of rare in Monument Park, where the likes of Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig reside in immortality. On Sept. 26, Sabathia will have his No. 52 retired forever by one of the most iconic franchises in sports, an honor he can’t wait to finally see come to life after learning the shocking news months prior.
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But while Sabathia’s on-field accomplishments are Hall of Fame and Monument Park worthy, his off-the-field contributions to the next generation are just as timeless and important.
That was on full display Monday at Alpine Country Club in New Jersey, where Sabathia held his 6th Annual Golf Classic for his PitCCh In Foundation. With golf being his latest sports passion post-retirement, it’s a day Sabathia looks forward to with his friends while making a community impact that feels as good as hitting a hole-in-one.
“It’s always fun to be able to get out on the golf course and obviously raise money for a good cause,” he told FOX Business before teeing off alongside the likes of Victor Cruz, Gary Sheffield, JR Smith, Matt Barnes, Ron Harper, Jimmy Rollins, Ja Rule and the list goes on. “Our foundation, the money goes directly to the kids in the Bronx. Our kids back home in our hometown of Vallejo [California], this is a direct effect of people coming out here to play golf.
CC SABATHIA’S PASSION FOR GOLF CONTINUES TO IMPACT YOUTH THROUGH PITCCH IN FOUNDATION’S ANNUAL TOURNAMENT
“I was just sitting down talking to Adam Jones and talking about being able to play golf, and the last six years, the network I’ve been able to build just around the game of golf. I wish I would’ve been playing longer, but I’m here now and excited.”
The event raised more than $450,000 to help PitCCh In continue creating opportunities and resources for young people and their families on both coasts in one unforgettable day.
It’s moments like this that have Sabathia excited for this next chapter of his life. Yes, he will still be impacting the game of baseball, whether that be broadcasting, or working with the Yankees and MLB as a whole.
But his foundation is something he holds near and dear to his heart, as does his wife Amber and their four children. In fact, PitCCh In is a true part of the family in their eyes.
“It’s great to see the foundation thriving in retirement. Sometimes in retirement, foundations go by the wayside, or players get busy and different things happen. But this is kind of our fifth child we’ve always said,” he said, smiling. “PitCCh In has been such a huge part of not just our lives, but like we said, kids on both coasts [and] our kids’ lives.
“I was just with Derek [Jeter] and he celebrated his 30 years for Turn 2 [Foundation], and just the impact he’s been able to make on the youth just in general. So many different stories, Jeter’s Leaders [Program] and people, in the last 30 years that he’s been able to impact. Hopefully, PitCCh In can continue to be that vehicle for years to come, too.”
PitCCh In has done everything from field renovations to baseball clinics, to providing college scholarships and school supplies as ways to impact the communities the Sabathia family cares about most. They also have a mentorship program where, through educational and athletic activities, the lives of the youth involved are strengthened on levels both physical and emotional.
Sabathia’s baseball legacy will be told forever in the halls in Cooperstown and behind the center field wall at Yankee Stadium come Sept. 26. But his story is one that goes well beyond the baseball player.
It’s also the person he is, and the family he’s surrounded by, that continues to support and impact in a way he felt from the very beginning.
“It was big for me when I was a kid, just having people that took interest in my life,” he said. “I just think about me being lucky in the situation I was in, whether it was my Boys and Girls Club – there was a guy named Philmore Graham who ran my Boys and Girls Club and took a huge interest in me. My high school baseball coach, my fifth grade teacher, all these different people who made an impact and why I’m sitting here. I want to hopefully be that for a kid.”
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