BOSTON – OCTOBER 25: Curt Schilling #38 of the Boston Red Sox walks off the mound during Game Two of the 2007 Major League Baseball World Series against the Colorado Rockies at Fenway Park on October 25, 2007 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Happy Birthday to Curt Schilling, one of the clutches Starting Pitchers of all time. In a career that lasted twenty seasons, entirely in the Steroid Era, Schilling is best remembered for his days with the Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Boston Red Sox, as well as spending time early in his career with the Baltimore Orioles and the Houston Astros. Being arguably the greatest big-game pitcher of all time, you cannot talk about the History of Baseball without mentioning Curt Schilling. 

Career Statistics/Accolades (1988-2007):

216-146 W-L 3.46 ERA 3,261 IP 3,116 K 1.137 WHIP

  • 6x All-Star
  • 3x World Series Champion (2001, 2004 & 2007)
  • 2001 World Series MVP
  • 1993 NLCS MVP
  • 2001 Roberto Clemente Award Winner

            In the career of Schilling, he showed a determination to go deep into games, frequently past the sixth and seventh innings. Schilling consistently threw a four-seam fastball between 94-98 MPH at his peak. He also possessed an above-average Changeup and Slider and an occasional Curveball. While you can have the ability to throw any pitch without proper pin-point control, you won’t get guys out, and in the case of Schilling, he had excellent pin-point control. Schilling was a 20-game winner three times, leading the league in Wins twice. Schilling retired 300 batters in a season three times, leading the league twice. Twice, Schilling led the league in WHIP; one of the years was in 1992, pitching for a poor Phillies team. 

The big game is what Curt Schilling will forever be remembered for. He wasn’t just 11-2 in the postseason but 4-0 while his teams were 5-0 in elimination games. In 1993, he was named the NLCS MVP, leading the Phillies to the World Series. In 2001, he and Randy Johnson were named the co-MVPs of the 2001 World Series, defeating the Yankees in seven games. In Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, he dominated as the Sox beat the Yankees despite pitching with a wounded ankle. 

Career in the Postseason (19 Starts)

11-2 W-L 2.23 ERA 133.1 IP 120 K 0.968 WHIP

When you factor in his postseason greatness and his eyepopping regular season numbers while considering that Schillings’ entire career was in the Steroid Era, he’s Hall of Fame worthy. I understand that he never won a Cy Young, and I could only count six years that are Hall of Fame representative. However, looking at the career of Schilling, he has few things that gives him my unofficial vote for the Hall of Fame. 1) In the Steroid Era, he put a healthy amount of black and boldface type on the back of his baseball card. 2) Schilling reached the 3,000 career Strikeout milestone, typically a Hall of Fame statistical milestone for pitchers. 3) The postseason based on his legendary performances in the postseason, you cannot tell the story of Baseball History without mentioning his name. Because he pitched in the Steroid Era, with Schilling not doing any steroids, he is arguably the greatest postseason pitcher ever. Schilling has yet to receive induction for the Hall of Fame, never receiving the required amount for the BBWAA ballot; however, with the Veterans Committees, it’s still entirely possible that he may one day enter the Hall of Fame. Regardless, if you ask any player he played with or anyone who has done their homework on the big game starting pitching, life on the line, who are you giving the ball to, it’s probably Curt Schilling.

References:

  1. Curt Schilling via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Schilling
  2. Curt Schilling Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schilcu01.shtml