Gerrit Cole’s CC Sabathia connection helped steer ace to Yankees

CC Sabathia’s connection with Gerrit Cole goes back much further than Cole taking over for Sabathia as the Yankees ace following the 2019 season, when Sabathia retired and Cole signed his huge deal to come to The Bronx.

The pitchers met for the first time in 2008 near the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, Calif., when they had lunch near where Sabathia was staying with Cleveland.

Cole, who had been a star at nearby Orange Lutheran HS, was in the market for an agent and Sabathia talked to the young right-hander about the process.

“We talked for a long time,’’ Sabathia said by phone. “It was a cool conversation. I said to myself afterwards, ‘This kid is gonna be good.’ I could tell he was serious about the game.”

Cole was selected by the Yankees in the first round — 28th overall — that year but opted to attend UCLA instead.

“Meeting him meant a lot to me,’’ Cole said. “We kept in touch after that.”