“For me, Andy’s a Hall of Famer,” Sabathia said this week of Andy Pettitte. “Getting a chance to pitch alongside him, getting a chance to still talk to him pretty much all the time — I believe he’s a Hall of Famer.”

The venerable starter more than doubled his Hall of Fame support on this year’s ballot. What does it mean for his chances going forward?

Most New York Yankees fans fear Andy Pettitte will never make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The left-handed legend, however, has the biggest promoter in Cooperstown leading the campaign to get him in. Newly-elected Hall of Famer CC Sabathia made it clear to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch that Pettitte belongs in the Hall.