One legend's surprising absence from CC Sabathia Hall of Fame induction loomed large

The Seattle Mariners owned Sunday afternoon's crowd in Cooperstown, with Ichiro Suzuki — the Crown Prince of Baseball, and one of the most wildly popular players of the game's entire history — taking center stage. CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees certainly held his own, though, beaming to a luxuriating ovation at the one place on earth that seems to transcend sporting rivalries.

A Yankee receiving love at a neutral site All-Star Game? It would never happen. A Yankee earning sustained cheers at the Hall of Fame, which serves symbolically as an eternal resting place? Of course. Naturally.

But it was the blurring of rivalry lines that made one familiar absence from the stage so difficult to comprehend: David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox was nowhere to be seen.

Occasionally, it is difficult for MLB legends with in-season obligations to get away from their teams and attend each summer's ceremony, but Derek Jeter (Ortiz's FOX colleague) and Pedro Martinez (TBS) were present. Billy Wagner's son Will, currently rostered by the Toronto Blue Jays, was also in town to watch his dad earn his key to eternity.

I will attempt not to judge, as difficult as that is to do. Without knowing what precluded Ortiz from attending, in a vacuum, it was a very bizarre realization to notice he was missing from the dais.

David Ortiz absent from 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony, featuring CC Sabathia

He was not alone. Other younger Hall of Famers such as Chipper Jones and Greg Maddux also missed this particular weekend, where Sandy Koufax - 89 years old - returned with grace to the place where he'll be remembered forever, shaking off his propensity for isolation. Ortiz does not have to explain his absence from the moment, but I hope, if it was a personal choice and not an impossible-to-ignore reality, he will reconsider his attendance in the years to come.

Cooperstown represents the pinnacle of any player's MLB career. This particular weekend is akin to civic duty, a chance to represent a notch on baseball's grand timeline, and give back to the game that gave each and every honoree so much. It's not just a responsibility, though. It's a joy for most. It's the guiding light that each rookie, forgotten prospect, and 10-year veteran grinds in order to be given access to. It's the wish of every ballplayer, from those in contention to those falling off the edge. It's what Dave Parker and Dick Allen, two of Sunday's honorees, spent their whole lives stretching to attain. Neither made it to this year's ceremony alive.

Seeing Ortiz, inextricable from the fabric of baseball, would mean a lot in the future, if he is able. Losing Ortiz from Sabathia's moment, a Yankee great from the heart of his Red Sox prime, can never be corrected.