CC Sabathia might not have made it to Cooperstown without Harold Reynolds.
The former New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians left-handed ace, a six-time All-Star, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday. According to Sabathia himself, his journey to Cooperstown wouldn’t have been possible without the MLB Network analyst.
During a segment on MLB Network following the announcement of his induction, Sabathia sat surrounded by loved ones. He fielded questions from Greg Amsinger, Tom Verducci and Bob Costas before the conversation shifted to Reynolds, a member of MLB Network’s original on-air team since its 2009 launch.
Reynolds asked Sabathia if there was a point or time in his career when he started seeing Cooperstown.
“It means everything to me… to go in first ballot, I know what that means as a baseball player.”@CC_Sabathia discusses what the first ballot distinction means to him and who he credits for his development into a Hall of Fame pitcher. pic.twitter.com/lh87pIJAIM
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 22, 2025
“You know me, Harold — I never thought about Cooperstown,” said Sabathia. “It was never on my radar until you called me, actually. I remember sitting in the offseason after 2017. I was so devastated the way that season ended, and sitting that offseason, I was probably close to retiring. And you gave me a call, and all these numbers I need to hit, and all these guys that are in the Hall of Fame with these numbers, and it just gave me an extra boost to go out and try to hit those numbers.”
Those numbers included 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, to be exact.
CC Sabathia finished his career with 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts, eclipsing the benchmarks Harold Reynolds had outlined for him.
“I literally remember sitting in my bedroom, and you called me and telling me how important this would be,” Sabathia explained. “And I’m grateful and I’m thankful now that I’m sitting here on this couch, because without that call, I probably would’ve been done.”
Sabathia pitched in 2018 and ’19 for the Bronx Bombers, and while he wasn’t the sharpest version of himself, he was effective enough. He had plenty of performances to hang his hat on, as he went 14-15 and pitched to a 4.18 ERA with 247 strikeouts in 260.1 innings pitched to finish out his illustrious 19-year MLB career.
But Reynolds wasn’t the only person who played a pivotal role in keeping Sabathia’s career alive. Will Cope, MLB Network’s Vice President of Production and Content Strategy, was also instrumental.
Reynolds tried to credit Cope during the segment but was cut off before he could elaborate. In 2017, Cope—then a supervising producer—led a team that analyzed Sabathia’s stats and argued that he would be on a Hall of Fame trajectory if he extended his career by just a few more seasons.
Once Reynolds saw the data, he picked up the phone and made the now-famous call to Sabathia.
And after giving Reynolds his flowers on MLBN, Sabathia took to X (formerly) to publicly thank him for the phone call that changed his life.
I wouldn’t be here in this moment without Harold Reynolds. After the 2017 season, I was contemplating retirement and it was he who pushed me to strive for the Hall of Fame knowing what it would take to make it. 3,000+ Ks, 250+ wins, everything. One conversation changed my whole…
— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) January 22, 2025
CC Sabathia wouldn’t be in this moment without Harold Reynolds. But it wasn’t just Reynolds who helped ensure that call happened; Cope’s behind-the-scenes work also contributed to its getting off the ground.
And with that, Sabathia’s journey to Cooperstown may never have been realized without their combined efforts.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.