The New York Yankees honored Hall of Famer CC Sabathia prior to Sunday’s 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, and the former ace was able to reflect on his early days in pinstripes.

Sabathia recently told Tyler Kepner of The Athletic that influential recording artist Jay-Z gave him a bit of advice before his first season with the Yankees.

“You know what’s crazy?” Sabathia said, after bouncing his ceremonial first pitch. “When I first signed, that first night, we had a party at the 40/40 Club, and I was sitting with Jay-Z and one of his buddies, and they were talking about: ‘You need to win right away.’ And I was like, ‘What are you talking about? I’m here for seven years.’ And they were like, ‘No, you need to win immediately.’”

While the lefty enjoyed a highly successful career

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