Ex-Yankees CC Sabathia, Ichiro have strong Hall of Fame cases in first year on ballot

CC Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki shared a clubhouse in The Bronx from 2012-14.Over a decade later, could they be teammates once again?Sabathia will hope to join a Hall of Fame class that surely will include Ichiro, who is the lone lock on the 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.Ballots were released Monday that for the first time include Ichiro and Sabathia, who likely will be enshrined but not necessarily right away.Other first-timers include Felix Hernandez, Dustin Pedroia, Troy Tulowitzki and Hanley Ramirez, none of whom at least this year figures to crack the 75 percent threshold of votes needed for entry into Cooperstown.Sabathia has the best chance among rookies to join Ichiro after a 19-year career that included a World Series ring (2009 with the Yankees), a Cy Young Award (2007 with Cleveland), six All-Star Games, 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts — the third-most ever among southpaws.Being a part of the 3,000-strikeout club nearly guarantees a Hall of Fame plaque: The only members not in are still playing (Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer) or left out for non-baseball reasons (Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling).The strength of the case for Sabathia, who pitched for seven and a half seasons with Cleveland, a remarkable half-season with the Brewers and then 11 with the Yankees, is in his cumulative numbers and big moments.

The big lefty started more games than anyone (560) since 2000.Only Verlander and Scherzer have struck out more batters this century.

Sabathia has both the longevity and the hardware that some older-school voters look for, including a ring from an October run in which he was the ALCS MVP.The case against Sabathia would include his 3.74 career ERA, which would be the third-highest of any Hall of Fame pitcher behind Jack Morris (3.90) and Red Ruffing (3.80).Sabathia’s ERA is nearby the 3.68 mark of Mike Mussina, who gained entry in his sixth year of eligibility and who similarly routinely pitched against some of the best offenses in bas...