NEW YORK — After Derek Jeter and before Aaron Judge, there were CC Sabathia and Brett Gardner. After Jeter retired in 2014, the New York Yankees were without an official captain until Judge was handed the role in 2023. But in the years between, many inside the clubhouse saw Sabathia as the leader of the pitching staff and Garnder leading the hitters.
Sabathia, 44, and Gardner, 41, were young when they helped the Yankees to their 2009 World Series victory, which the team celebrated during Old-Timers’ Day before Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium. Over the years, the pair grew close.
Asked if he considered it “a bummer” that Gardner didn’t attend Saturday’s celebration, Sabathia nodded his head.
“Yeah, I mean, I think it is,” he told reporters. “Gardy was such a big part of this culture. Hopefully he can work out whatever he needs to work out and be here. But this is a lot of fun to be around the guys. We had a good time (Friday) night.”
Pinstripes are forever. #OldTimersDay | #RepBX pic.twitter.com/fyIp49bVjl
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 24, 2024
Gardner was among the most notable members of the 2009 team who didn’t appear. Others included pitchers Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. Second baseman Robinson Cano also wasn’t there Saturday, but he’s playing professionally in Mexico.
Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte were among the Yankees luminaries from the 2009 squad who attended. Then-manager Joe Girardi also showed up.
Earlier this week, The Athletic reported that Gardner’s longtime agent, Joe Bick of Meister Sports Management, said that the retired outfielder had plans near his home in Holly Hill, S.C., on Friday night and that he didn’t plan to break them. Bick said that Gardner intended to be at his son’s football game.
In the report, a Yankees spokesman said Gardner hasn’t responded to messages from the team since his playing career ended after the 2021 season. The spokesman added that Gardner had made it known that when he was done playing he would be staying out of the public eye. Gardner didn’t respond to a request seeking comment from The Athletic.
Gardner hasn’t been seen back at Yankee Stadium since the end of 2021. In March 2022, Bick told NJ Advance Media that Gardner still wanted to play and that he wanted to finish his career with the Yankees. A deal between the sides never materialized. In November 2021, Gardner declined his $2.3 million option for 2022 and the Yankees declined their $7.15 million option on him, making him a free agent. Gardner, drafted by the Yankees in 2005, played all 14 of his big-league seasons in pinstripes. He was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove in 2016.
Francisco Cervelli, who played seven seasons with Gardner and was on the 2009 team, attended the celebration and said that Gardner was a big part of the clubhouse when he played.
“He was a guy who looked very serious, but he wasn’t,” Cervelli said. “Crazy guy, always with energy, with passion. He was 100 percent committed to every game. Special player. Running like crazy. Making amazing plays. He was a big part of this, and for the success of the Yankees through the years.”
(Photo: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
