On WEII this morning Curt Schilling said he was having season ending shoulder surgery. While this season is over for him, so may be his career.
Is this guy's career worthy of Hall of Fame status?
216 wins and 146 losses
3.46 ERA
3116 strikeouts in 3261 innings
6 time All Star
3 20 win seasons
Cy Young Runner Up 3 times
His regular season numbers alone simply do not stack up to others in the Hall. Schillings postseason contributions bring him closer to consideration.
11 wins and 2 losses
2.23 ERA
120 strikeouts in 133.1 innings pitched
1993 NLCS MVP
2001 World Series MVP (tie with Randy Johnson)
3 time World Series Champion
My guess is that Curt Schilling will not garner enough votes to make the Hall of Fame. Clearly, Schilling is among the greatest pitchers in postseason history. However, 216 career wins simply is not enough for a guy that pitched for more than sixteen years in the bigs. I know Sandy Koufax had 165 wins in his career but he was the dominant pitcher of his era. Schilling was not.
Since 1975 the Red Sox have had some big time pitchers including; Luis Tiant, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez and Josh Beckett. If the Red Sox had to win one game in a playoff and I could choose any pitcher the Sox have had since 1975 to win that one game or go home -- i would choose Schilling. He is not better than Pedro or Clemens but he had a desire and will to win that was unparalleled. More impressive than his "bloody sock" game 6 game in 2004 was his performances last year. Three wins in four postseason starts when he did not have a fastball over 90 mph. This is a guy who reinvented himself by changing from an overpowering pitcher to a finesse pitcher.
I hope this year that Schilling can get ring number four and go out on top because the Hall of Fame simply is out of his reach.
4 comments:
I think Schilling would need another three or four very good season to make it. If Jack Morris of the Tigers doesn't get in, then Schilling stands no chance. Morris was the dominant pitcher of the 80's. Schill was one of the very good pitchers of the late 90's early 00's.
None-the-less, I love what he did for the Sox!
Cal
Gotta agree with you, Phil, the numbers just aren't there. Unless you are only looking at postseason heroics, I think his bloody sock will remain the only thing in there.
Hubby and I were lucky enough to see what seems to be his last pitch, in Fenway at WS '07. He has nothing to hang is head about. I've rooted for him since my days in mid 90's living in Philly. Say what you want about his mouth and politics, but he has been a great pitcher to have in Boston.
Phil, You hit the mark. He has the longevity needed for the hall, but was not the dominant player of his time (as can be seen in no Cy Young wins). He'll be on the ballot, but I think you are looking at another Jim Rice in the voting.
The hall is very important to Shill, so I just hope his mouth doesn't get loose if he doesn't get in. It would be a shame if that is how he is remembered.
Maybe I heard him incorrectly but for what it’s worth ESPN’s Buster Olney said he’d vote for Shill for the Hall. He went on to talk about how Schilling has been with the media over the years, giving interviews & exclusives to some while ignoring others. Buster intimated that this could eventually come back to haunt him when it comes to HOF votes. If that’s the case that’s BS. Either the man has the numbers for the Hall or not but I’m not naive enough to think that this doesn't have an impact on the way media members vote.
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