New York Yankees: CC Sabathia cements Hall of Fame case

With his 3000th career strikeout, New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame.

On Tuesday night, New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia etched his name in the record books. By striking out former Yankee John Ryan Murphy in the bottom of the second inning, sending him down with a changeup as the hefty lefty struck out the side.

With that swing and miss, Sabathia became the 17th pitcher in MLB history to record 3000 strikeouts. He joined Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton as the only left handed pitchers in the club, the third lefty to reach that milestone. Sabathia also joined Bob Gibson and Fergie Jenkins as the only black players on that list.

In all likelihood, Sabathia also punched his ticket to the MLB Hall of Fame. Of the pitchers to reach that milestone, 14 have already been inducted, with extenuating circumstances surrounding the other two. Roger Clemens is tainted by the suspicion that he used PEDs, which has hurt his candidacy. Curt Schilling, while free of the PED taint, has antagonized reporters and proven to be a rather odious being, which has hindered his own quest for the Hall.

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Sabathia, meanwhile, has avoided those issues while completely reinventing himself. Sabathia has gone from a power pitcher in his early days with the Indians and Brewers to relying more on his offspeed pitches and command. He may no longer be an ace, but Sabathia has settled in as a solid back of the rotation arm.

Following his outing on Tuesday, Sabathia has put together an impressive resume. In his 19 year career, he has posted a 247-154 record, along with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.253 WHiP. striking out 3002 batters with 1066 walks in 3490.1 innings. He has been a six time All Star, won the 2007 AL Cy Young award, and was named the MVP of the 2009 ALCS.

Sabathia still has a milestone within reach, as he is just three wins away from his 250th career victory. In what he says will be his final season, Sabathia still appears to have plenty of innings remaining in that left arm. Perhaps, if the Yankees get healthy and continue to roll along, his final moment on the diamond will involve celebrating a World Series title.

CC Sabathia notched another milestone on Tuesday. In doing so, the New York Yankees pitcher punched his ticket to Cooperstown.