CC Sabathia visits Milwaukee to commemorate 15th anniversary of 2008 playoff run

On Friday, August 25, 2023, former star pitcher CC Sabathia returned to Milwaukee, appearing during the Brewers game against the San Diego Padres that night and commemorating the 15th anniversary of his legendary 2008 run. It’s the first time Sabathia has been back to Milwaukee since 2014, when he pitched for the New York Yankees.

Sabathia’s Herculean performance in 2008 helped the Brewers reach the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. He went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA, working frequently on three days rest, and gave the Brewers a complete-game effort in the finale for a 3-1 win over the Cubs that clinched the franchise’s first postseason berth in a generation.

The first 20,000 fans received a commemorative poster of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sports front page that commemorated the occasion. Sabathia also threw out the ceremonial first pitch (1st photo). Sabathia threw seven complete games, including three shutouts, in his brief tenure as a Brewer, beginning with a blockbuster trade from Cleveland in early July of 2008. Sabathia is pictured with Brewers 1st Base Coach Quintin Berry (2nd photo).