As we get closer to the 2016 MLB Hall of Fame induction, we take a look at some of the biggest names on the ballot. Ken Griffey Jr., along with Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner headline the first year players vying for a spot in Cooperstown, while guys like Tim Raines, Mike Mussina, and Jeff Bagwell look to finally claim their spots. Another player seeking enshrinement is pitcher Curt Schilling. Schilling looks to join former teammate Randy Johnson and seventy-three other pitchers in the Hall of Fame.
Career Highlights:
Schilling was born in Anchorage, Alaska on November 14th, 1966. He enrolled at Yavapai Junior College in Arizona and, in his first season with the team, went to the JUCO World Series. In 1986, Schilling was drafted in the second round of the January draft by the Boston Red Sox. he began his professional career with the Elmira Pioneers, an affiliate of the Red Sox. Two and a half years later, Schilling was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, along with Brady Anderson. Over the span of three seasons, Schilling started only five games for the team and collected a 1-6 record with a 4.54 ERA before being traded to the Houston Astros for just one season.
Schilling finally found his stride in the major leagues when he picked up ten complete games and 14 wins alongside a 2.35 ERA in his first year with the Philadelphia Phillies. He also reduced his WHIP to a league low 0.990. Schilling then became the ace for a Phillies team that finished with a record of 97-65, and won the national league pennant. That year, Schilling threw seven complete games and went 16-7 as a starter.
In July of 2000, the Phillies traded Schilling to the Arizona Diamondbacks, with whom he had arguably the best years of his career. In 2001, he led the league in wins and innings pitched by going 22-6 in 256.2 innings, all while striking out 298 batters and recording a 2.98 ERA. In the postseason, Schilling went 2-0 over eighteen innings and allowed just one run and nine hits against the St. Louis Cardinals. In his one start against the Atlanta Braves, Schilling pitched a complete game and allowed one run on four hits en route to the win. Schilling, along with teammate Randy Johnson, were named co-World Series MVPs after the Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees.
Schilling began the last leg of his storied career with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. That year, he led the American League with twenty-one wins and a 3.26 ERA. In the postseason of 2004, Schilling helped the Red Sox make history by climbing back from a three-games-to-none deficit against the New York Yankees. After winning games four and five, the Red Sox looked to Schilling for game six. He took the mound despite the displaced tendon in his ankle being held together by sutures. The blood staining the white of Schilling’s sock during game six will be remembered forever, but the biggest feat he accomplished that night was only allowing four hits and one run to send the series to game seven.
Should Curt Schilling be in the Hall of Fame?
Curt Schilling retired as the only pitcher to win a World Series start for three different teams. While arguably one of the best post-season pitchers of all time, his career numbers are just as impressive. Schilling was an All Star six times, in the top-fifteen of the MVP voting four times, and in the top-five of the Cy Young voting four times during his twenty year career. Schilling ended his career with 216 wins, a 3.46 ERA, and 3,116 strikeouts. He has earned a spot in Cooperstown.
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