With 3000 Strikeouts CC Sabathia Earned His Way To The MLB Hall Of Fame.

It took five pitches to D-backs catcher and former Yankees player John Ryan Murphy in the second inning and more than 18 seasons in the big leagues for Sabathia to join the exclusive group and etch his name among the greatest pitchers to ever play the game.

The 17th member of the 3,000-strikeout fraternity, Sabathia is only the third left-handed pitcher behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton to accomplish the feat.

I know both of those guys and being a Black Ace is something I take very serious, being one of the guys to win 20 games, Sabathia said.

He fouled off the next three pitches all cutters before swinging and missing at an 84 mph changeup in the strike zone for the third out of the frame, setting Yankees fans in attendance into a frenzy and propelling Sabathias teammates out onto the field for a spontaneous celebration.