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Sabathia’s PitCCh In Foundation Visits The Bronx

CC Sbathia stands proudly looking on as a local coach speaks to participants at the PitCCh In Foundation instructional camp.

CC Sabathia and the PitCCh In foundation hosted an instructional camp for children in The Bronx as a way of giving back to the community.

Last week, former New York Yankees’ ace CC Sabathia and the PitCCh In foundation stopped by the Bronx to host an instructional camp for the New York City youth. Quarry Fields, a ballfield the Sabathia family refurbished in 2019, played home to the foundation for the weekend’s activities. The highlights were instruction from high school and college coaches, and, of course, CC himself. The event continues an ongoing relationship between Sabathia and the borough.

Campers received custom jerseys and team pictures with Sabathia before the activities got underway. A radar gun, baseballs, and smiling kids littered the infield dirt while whiffle balls, bats, and gloves lay scattered in the outfield. While the coaches and campers talked baseball on the field, parents watched from the sidelines as their children made memories that would last a lifetime.

“[My son] was very excited, he’s a huge Yankees fan so this was such a cool opportunity for him,” one parent said.

“When he heard about the CC Sabathia program, he [my son] was just ecstatic,” commented another.

In His Own Words

The importance of youth programs is paramount to the Sabathia family. CC and his wife Amber grew up in the inner city of Vallejo, California and Sabathia credits programs just like this one as his inspiration to give back.

“I started this foundation to help kids in kind of the situation that I grew up in. Me and Amber (Sabathia) both grew up in the inner city, and I grew up in the Boys and Girls Club and different organizations and without those vehicles I probably would not be here today – I know I wouldn’t be here today. We wanted PitCCh in to be that for some of these kids that look like us and grow up in the same situation that we grew up in.”

To Amber and CC Sabathia, it’s important that kids feel comfortable both on the field and in the classroom. In 2021, the Sabathias donated 3,000 backpacks full of school supplies to elementary schools across their hometown of Vallejo, California. This donation marks 20,000 such backpacks given out by the Sabathias to the Vallejo community since the program’s inception in 2008.

“The backpack giveaway was one of the first things that we did, starting at my hometown elementary school in Vallejo, California. That was one of our very first initiatives, we understand going back to school and how hard that can be for people in the inner city to have quality things for their kids to go back to school.”

In March of 2022, the city of Cleveland honored Sabathia for his longtime commitment to charity work with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Sabathia spent the first eight of his 19 big league seasons in Cleveland, sporting a 3.83 ERA across 1528 innings, striking out 1265. He would win his first and only Cy-Young in 2007 before his departure to Milwaukee.

When asked to describe what his foundation means to him, Sabathia admits the program has become another member of the family.

“It’s like our fifth child, it’s part of our family. My mom is here, my god-mom is here, my son is in the camp. Our family is very entrenched and involved in our foundation so it’s part of our family.”

Now in its 15th year, the PitCCh in foundation is showing no signs of slowing. PitCCh in, in association with ProCamps, has already put on two programs this year, and if Sabathia’s track record is any indication, more will follow. On a larger scale, the PitCCh in foundation does a lot of good for a lot of people, but to really appreciate how much each family benefits from the program, you have to hear it from them.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for remembering the children of The Bronx, thank you for coming out, and thank you for being so philanthropic.”

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