CC Sabathia earned first-ballot election to the Baseball Hall of Fame this past winter, an honor that seemed to be tearing at the seams midway through his Yankees career. The Sabathia of 2013, ’14, and ’15 posted ERAs above 4.70 each season, and he hadn’t just approached a career crossroads at the age of 34, but seemed to have already chosen the wrong direction. He was in need of restorative guidance. A teacher the whole way, he required mentorship himself. He was humbled, and missed the 2015 postseason to address his looming personal demons.

When he emerged, he was regenerated, adding three more legacy seasons and the 3,000th strikeout of his career onto his portfolio. After years of confidently taking the ball in every Game 1, every Opening Day, and every sweat-flecked ninth inning, he proved that sometimes even the strongest in the game need help, and have to prove their strength by asking for it.

Nobody, perhaps, more powerfully understood the role of a catcher. Sabathia was an imposing presence on the mound, with a 6’7″ frame and astounding heft. That meant, without a reset and a mantra, he was often in danger of getting out of whack. Throughout his 19-year tenure, it was the catcher’s job to help compose him, and with 24 hours left before he was slated to take center stage in Cooperstown, he showed his career’s worth of catchers the love they deserved.

MLB’s Instagram put together a graphic compendium of every single catcher Sabathia worked with, and he notably did not have one dominant name behind the plate for any given chunk of time, forging a timeless partnership. Instead, Sabathia battled alongside the likes of Francisco Cervelli, Brian McCann, and Chris Stewart in pinstripes after leaving Victor Martinez (700 strikeouts caught) behind in Cleveland.

In a hilarious comment worthy of his affable partnerships, Sabathia thanked each and every one of them, announcing the he only shook off his battery mates “five times in 19 years”. That’s … probably an understatement, but we appreciate Sabathia’s courtesy – and the crowd at Yankee Stadium showed that appreciation Sunday, too.

Yankees’ CC Sabathia thanks a whole glut of catchers ahead of Baseball Hall of Fame induction

Sabathia’s Hall of Fame speech probably won’t mention Sal Fasano, but his Instagram comment sure managed to cover him; CC knew the exact singular game in which he whiffed 10 men with Fasano behind the plate.

It was that meticulousness that carried Sabathia throughout his brash youth and stoic prime, and it was that meticulousness that he needed to return to when things started to go awry midway through his Yankees tenure. Thankfully, he once again found the stabilizing force he’d grown to rely upon, and ended up where he’d always belonged.