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CC Sabathia reflected on his emotional trade to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, recalling how he cried upon leaving Cleveland. His time with the Brewers ultimately led to significant contributions and a memorable career.
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When his plane touched down in Milwaukee to celebrate his unforgettable contributions in a short time as a Milwaukee Brewer, CC Sabathia flashed back to his arrival nearly 18 years ago.
A young pitcher decades away from the Hall of Fame, he was in a completely different headspace then.
It was July 7, 2008 and Sabathia learned the life he knew in baseball had been upended by a trade. Goodbye, Cleveland. Hello, Milwaukee.
âI remember I was sitting in my room, I cried so hard that night I got traded,â the big left-hander recalled May 8 at American Family Field.
Retired pitcher CC Sabathia, a star of the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers playoff team, speaks with principal owner Mark Attanasio, left, and former general manager Doug Melvin on May 8 at American Family Field. Sabathia and the late Dave Parker were added to the Brewers Wall of Honor.
This time he was coming for a ceremony adding him and the late Dave Parker to the Brewers Wall of Honor, which recognizes players, coaches and executives for their service to the team and accomplishments across baseball.
CC Sabathia cried because he was leaving the Cleveland Indians, marking a significant change in his life and career.
CC Sabathia made unforgettable contributions during his short time with the Brewers, helping them reach the playoffs in 2008.
CC Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 7, 2008.
CC Sabathia was recently added to the Brewers Wall of Honor, recognizing his contributions to the team.
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âI had never been to another organization,â Sabathia continued. âI didnât know if I could do it anywhere else.
âI had got to Cleveland when I was 17 years old. Got to the big league when I was 20, and I had become a man there, so I didnât know if I could play anywhere else. So, getting traded was tough.â
Tough, but in many ways also the best thing that could have happened to Sabathia. And his arrival was a boon to the Brewers that is still felt a generation later.
With a pep talk from wife Amber â âThese people want you there,â she told him â Sabathia wiped his tears, came to Milwaukee and pitched the next day. He scattered five hits and two earned runs over six innings and picked up the win in a 7-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
He would go on to compile an 11-2 record and 1.65 earned run average in 17 starts, seven of which were complete games and three that were shutouts. Sabathia made his final three starts on three daysâ rest, and his complete-game victory on the final day of the regular season, coupled with a Mets loss, put the Brewers into the postseason.
The deal, in which the Brewers gave up outfielder Michael Brantley, first baseman Matt LaPorta, and pitchers Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson, is still considered one of the most impactful in-season trades in major-league history.
And the winning attitude, desire, energy and toughness Sabathia brought to the club are still felt, as is the jolt he gave to Milwaukee baseball fandom that allowed the Brewers to top 3 million in attendance that year.
âCC Sabathia single-handedly changed the culture of this organization in two months,â Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said. âWhen I got here [in 2005] ⊠come July, [some players] had their golf clubs in the clubhouse, thinking about what they were gonna do next.
âInstead, that summer everybody pulled together, and it was all about winning. And being great teammates. ⊠CC just bonded this whole clubhouse together, and everything has been different after that. And thatâs an intangible. I wish you could bottle it. Youâd look for it. You canât find it.
âWeâve had some great leaders in this clubhouse. Thatâs all built on the shoulders of what CC did that summer.â
While he appreciated the compliment, Sabathia did downplay his role in a culture change. Mostly, he said, it was about taking a team that had the building blocks and nudging it in the right direction.
Regardless, the gratitude goes both ways.
Although Sabathia had won the Cy Young Award the previous season, he had taken a step back to start 2008 and was sitting at 6-8 with an ERA of 3.83 before the change of scenery flipped a switch for him.
Sabathia went on to sign with the Yankees and spent 11 seasons in New York, retiring after 2019 with a career record of 251-161, ERA of 3.74, 3,093 strikeouts, six All-Star Game appearances, an ALCS MVP award (2009) and a World Series championship (2009). Sabathia is one of only five pitchers with at least 250 wins, 3,000 strikeouts and a .600 winning percentage and one of four left-handers with 3,000 strikeouts.
Sabathia was already a member of the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame last year and will have his number retired by the Yankees this fall.
âIt was a short 2, 2 œ, 3 months, but I donât think I would have been able to go on and have the career I had in New York, had I not been able to have this stop,â Sabathia said.
Dave Parker came to Milwaukee for just one season late in his career but became the Brewers best player in 1990 and brought valuable leadership.
Parker, who also was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2025, arrived via free agency ahead of the 1990 season and hit .289 with 21 home runs and 92 runs batted in.
One season away from the end of a 19-year-career, he was the Brewersâ best player, a Silver Slugger Award winner and MLBâs designated hitter of the year.
âThe Cobraâ was a powerful hitter withh a cannon for an arm in right field and exceptional speed for a someone 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds.
A seven-time all-star, Parker won two National League batting titles, was the 1978 NL most valuable player and was a part of World Series winning teams in Pittsburgh (1979) and Oakland (1989).
Much the way Sabathia would 18 years later, Parker brought a winning attitude, leadership and an infectious personality to a team with young players who benefited from his experience.
âThe 1990 team had B.J. Surhoff, who was 25 years old; Greg Vaughn, 25 years old; Paul Molitor, 33; Robin Yount, 33; and Gary Sheffield, 21,â said former Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. âThose are five pretty good hitters. Offensive players.
âBut at the age of 39, Dave Parker led the team in hits, doubles, RBIs, OPS. And I think itâs about time that Dave Parker got recognized by Cooperstown and by the Brewers, and to be able to put his plaque out here on this wall.â
Parker, who died of complications of Parkinsonâs disease last year at age 74, was represented by his son David Parker II.
âHe always likes winning, regardless of what it was, golf, baseball, dominoes,â Parker said of his father. âIt doesnât matter. He always had a competitive spirit, and thatâs one thing I think that people would know about him. He was always a great teammate. He liked to joke and laugh in the locker room, but he also liked to be competitive.â
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: CC Sabathia, Dave Parker added to Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor