wins in regular-season play. Early life Sabathia was born in Vallejo, California and attended Vallejo High School, where he excelled in baseball, basketball, and football. As a teenager, Sabathia played summer baseball in the Major League Baseball youth program, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI). In baseball, he compiled a win–loss record of 6–0 with an 0.77 earned run average (ERA) and 82 strikeouts in innings pitched during his senior season. He was the top high school prospect in Northern California according to Baseball America. In football, he was an all-conference tight end. He received scholarship offers to play college football, including one from the University of California, Los Angeles; he signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and to play baseball and football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Sabathia graduated from Vallejo High School in 1998 and went directly from high school to minor league baseball. Professional career Draft and minors The Cleveland Indians selected Sabathia in the first round, with the 20th overall selection, of the 1998 MLB draft. He signed for a $1.3 million signing bonus and pitched in the Indians' minor league system for three seasons. In 2000, Sabathia was selected for the 28-man United States Olympic Team roster. He appeared in one pre-Olympic tournament game in Sydney, Australia, but was not on the official 24-man, Gold Medal-winning roster because he was called up by the Cleveland Indians. He was named the Indians' 2000 Minor League Player of the Year (receiving the "Lou Boudreau Award"). Cleveland Indians (2001–2008) In 2001, at age 20, Sabathia began his rookie season as the youngest player in the Major Leagues. He ended the season with a 17–5 record, finishing second in the AL voting for Rookie of the Year behind future Yankees teammate Ichiro Suzuki. Sabathia also made his first postseason appearance in 2001. On February 23, 2002, Sabathia signed a four-year, $9.5 million contract with the Indians that contained a club option for 2006. In the 2002 season, he was tenth in the AL in strikeouts, with 149 in 210 innings. In 2003, he had the tenth-best ERA in the AL (3.60). He was also named to the American League All-Star team for the first time. Sabathia made his second All-Star selection in a row as he finished the 2004 season by going 11–10 with a 4.12 ERA and 139 strikeouts. The Indians