CLEVELAND -- Maybe the baseball world remembers him in pinstripes more than a Cleveland uniform, but CC Sabathia knows this moment wouldn¡¯t have been possible without his original organization.

On Tuesday night, Sabathia¡¯s phone rang, informing him that he had been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The former pitcher earned 86.8% of the vote in his first year on the ballot.

Entering 2025, there had been just 60 first-ballot Hall of Famers. Now, there are 62, adding two of this year¡¯s inductees, Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki. They join Billy Wagner as 2025 selections by the Baseball Writers¡¯ Association of America. Dave Parker and Dick Allen are also in the 2025 Hall of Fame class, voted in by the Classic Baseball Era Committee.

"I don't think I'd be sitting here today if I wasn't drafted by the Cleveland organization," Sabathia said.

This is a fun moment for Guardians fans to celebrate, despite the Yankees logo that will be on the Hall of Famer¡¯s hat in Cooperstown. There were only two other Clevelanders to monitor on this year¡¯s ballot, and neither made much headway to reach the coveted 75% threshold for induction. Manny Ramirez received 34.3% of the votes, and Omar Vizquel pulled in 17.8%. Ramirez has one year left on the ballot. Vizquel has two.

When it came to Sabathia, there was no question. It¡¯s why the Guardians were quick to induct the lefty workhorse into their own Hall of Fame last August, beginning the year of celebrations of Sabathia¡¯s illustrious career that spanned 19 seasons.

It all started on April 8, 2001. Cleveland called up the 20-year-old Sabathia to make his first Major League start. In 5 2/3 innings, he allowed three runs on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts against the Orioles. The rest, as they say, is history.

No matter how he performed during that first season, Sabathia was convinced that he was going back to the Minor Leagues. It was a season full of paranoia that somehow led to a 17-5 record with a 4.39 ERA, which earned him a second-place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year voting behind none other than Suzuki. Sabathia recorded 171 strikeouts that season, the second-most all-time by a Cleveland rookie. He wasn¡¯t going anywhere. In fact, he was about to become one of the fiercest workhorses in the game.

Cleveland selected Sabathia in the first round of the 1998 MLB Draft when he was just 17 years old. Just after he joined the organization, he met pitching coach Carl Willis, to whom Sabathia attributes his success.

"He literally taught me how to throw a four-seam fastball," Sabathia said. "He literally broke down my delivery and taught me how to deliver the baseball and how to be efficient at it. He taught me pitch sequencing. We get to 2006 and I¡¯m trying to learn how to throw a cutter. ¡­ We went down to the bullpen in Oakland and he showed me a grip for a cutter, and I end up with this 83 mph slider out of that bullpen. From that second half of 2006 until the end of my career, that was one of my plus, plus pitches."

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In eight seasons with Cleveland, Sabathia pitched to a 3.83 ERA with 1,265 strikeouts, which ranks seventh in franchise history. For seven seasons, Sabathia recorded at least 11 wins, tying him with Sam McDowell for the longest such streak by a Cleveland left-hander.

Sabathia was one of three pitchers in team history to be selected to three or more All-Star Games. And let¡¯s not forget the AL Cy Young Award he secured in 2007 for his 19-7 record in 34 starts with an MLB-best 241 innings and a 3.21 ERA.

At the time, Sabathia hoped he would be the ace of this team for all of his career. Instead, he was traded in the middle of the 2008 season to Milwaukee and ended his career with 11 seasons with the Yankees. That¡¯s where he got his World Series ring. That¡¯s where he spent most of his career. It makes sense that he¡¯s remembered as a Yankee most of the time. But there¡¯s a reason he¡¯s still so prevalent in the Cleveland community.

Each year, Sabathia tries to make sure he hosts at least one event with the local Northeast Ohio Boys & Girls Club. Last year, he hosted a baseball clinic for kids prior to the Guardians¡¯ Hall of Fame ceremony. In previous years, he¡¯s held Q&As with kids in the stands at Progressive Field before hosting them for the game.

Cleveland is where he learned how to be a big leaguer. It¡¯s where he got married to his wife, Amber, and moved into their first home together. It¡¯s where his first three children were born. So even if he¡¯s known as a Yankee, he and Cleveland fans know the bond he has with this city.