Building a 'LegaCCy': Hall of Famer CC Sabathia discusses importance of his family's foundation

CC Sabathia’s journey into the National Baseball Hall of Fame was filled with trials and tribulations along the way, including his ride up to Cooperstown.

The Sabathia family – his wife, Amber, and four children, Carsten, Jaeden Arie, Cyia, and Carter – were spotted on the side of a highway with their car broken down. Thanks to the Hall of Fame pitcher, the moment was captured with a quick family selfie.

"Any time the six of us are traveling, probably something is going to happen," Sabathia told Fox News Digital with a laugh at Alpine Country Club in New Jersey on Tuesday. "Somebody’s going to cancel a flight, we’re going to miss some luggage. So, we have a group chat and it’s called, ‘Strong as a unit,’ and it’s as long as we’re all together, we can get through anything. Our car broke down on the way to Cooperstown. I took a picture, a snapshot of like how our family dynamic works. Me and the kids, playing around and having fun out of the most horrible situation, and Amber in the back on the phone cleaning things up.

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CC Sabathia poses for a photo during a ceremony honoring his Hall of Fame induction prior to the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 7, 2025 in New York, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

"It’s just another story for us to tell, and we have plenty of them. But it’s always something going on."

Sabathia’s summer has been one to remember after being voted into the Hall as a first-ballot inductee, being one of just three left-handed pitchers to total at least 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts over their careers. He’s also a member of the Black Aces, a group of African American and African Canadian pitchers who have won at least 20 games during a single MLB season.

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The accolades are abundant for Sabathia, and they are on display in Cooperstown for years to come. But this summer hasn’t just been about personal accomplishments for Sabathia, and a prime example of that is this week’s events benefitting his "fifth child," as he and his wife put it.

The PitCCh In Foundation, founded in 2008, helps underserved youth across the country as the Sabathia family gives back to those communities that impacted them along this journey to becoming a Hall of Fame pitcher. That’s the main reason Sabathia was at the golf course on Tuesday, as his foundation hosted its fifth annual Golf Classic – the new sports passion for the big left-hander.

CC Sabathia tips his hat to the crowd before a ceremony honoring his Hall of Fame induction prior to the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 7, 2025 in New York, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

And the day before, CC and Amber Sabathia hosted the LegaCCy Gala at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, to not only celebrate the pitcher’s career and Hall of Fame honors but benefit the foundation as well. The gala, filled with stars like Derek Jeter and Gerrit Cole, raised more than $375,000, and after the Yankees’ $250,000 contribution during a ceremony at Sunday’s game in the Bronx, the foundation is ready to impact youth with more than half a million dollars and counting.

"It’s been incredible to see, not only the way the Yankees continue to show up for us – me, my wife and our family and the foundation," Sabathia explained. "But just the support we still get in retirement, and seeing the foundation still thriving five years into retirement. After you get done playing you don’t know what it’s going to look like. I know that’s something that’s super passionate for me and my family."

PitCCh In, and everything else in Sabathia’s life, has always been a family affair. So, this summer hasn’t just been about him – it’s been about those who have been by his side through it all.

Sabathia may have "transitioned into being a golfer full time," but his impact on and off the baseball field will continue following his Hall of Fame induction. He has a role as an advisor in the MLB Commissioner’s Office as well as with the Yankees, the team he spent 11 of his 19 seasons with while winning a World Series title in 2009.

But continuing to impact future generations of ballplayers, golfers and whoever else it may be remains a constant in not just Sabathia’s life, but his entire family. After all, building a LegaCCy requires a strong support system.

Strong as a unit.

CC Sabathia poses for a photo with his plaque during the Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Clark Sports Center on July 27, 2025 in Cooperstown, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)

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"I think what you see now is what my whole career’s been," Sabathia said of his family. "We had kids really young, me and Amber. I was 22 years old, and she was 21 years old. I played 19 years, so ‘Little C’ saw my whole career. To have all the kids be able to celebrate now and understand what we went through – all the moving around we did, all the flights, all the stuff, why we can’t do this in the summertime, why we have to do this in the wintertime. All these different sacrifices that they made, they get to see the fruits of it.

"I’ve been telling people this Hall of Fame thing this summer has been more about all the people around me than it is about me. In my speech, wanting to tell the story about the women that helped me in my hometown. Getting a chance to talk about my high school coach, my dad, everybody that’s helped me get to this point, my family included. I think it’s fun to be able to celebrate with them and have them old enough to understand what’s happening and what we’ve been through. The legacy they have to continue on with PitCCh In."

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