CC Sabathia is hands down a slam dunk Hall of Famer, so says a guy who tried to beat him for YEARS ... 'cause Jake Odorizzi tells TMZ Sports the Yankee belongs in Cooperstown.
"He's a surefire Hall of Famer," the Minnesota Twins pitcher says ... "I really enjoyed watching him pitch."
It's a pretty big compliment from Jake ... considering the guy threw against CC PLENTY from 2013 to 2017 when Odorizzi was a Tampa Bay Ray and Sabathia was in NY.
But, game recognizes game .