Curt Schilling Calls It a Career

Curt Schilling announced his retirement on his 38 Pitches blog saying, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over.”

One of the first thoughts that arises is whether or not he’s Hall of Fame material.  I’ve weighed in on this before, so let me restate my position.

The Numbers

Played 1988-2007 (20 years)

569 games

436 starts (83rd all-time)

3261 innings (94th all-time)

216 wins (79th all-time)—146 Losses

.597 winning percentage

3.46 ERA (4.41 League ERA)

1.137 WHIP (44th all-time)

3116 Ks (14th all-time)

83 complete games

20 shutouts

22 saves

4.38 strikeout to walk ratio (second all-time)

1.27 adjusted ERA (42nd all-time)

Three 20-win seasons

Five 200 K seasons

Three 300 K seasons

Four sub-3.00 ERA seasons

Two sub-1.00 WHIP seasons

Playoffs: Three World Series rings, 19 starts, 133.3 innings, 10-2 (.833 winning percentage), 2.23 ERA, 0.968 WHIP, 120 Ks, four complete games

Awards

1993 NLCS MVP

1995 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award

2001 Babe Ruth Award

2001 Branch Rickey Award

2001 Hutch Award

2001 Roberto Clemente Award

2001 TSN Pitcher of the Year

2001 World Series MVP

2002 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Six All-Star Game appearances

Cy Young votes in four Seasons (three-time runner-up)

MVP votes in four seasons

Top 10 Finishes

Wins—five times (led league in 2001 & 2004)

Winning percentage—six times (led league in 2004)

ERA—nine times

WHIP—11 times (led league in 1992 & 2002)

Strikeouts—nine times (led league in 1997 & 1998)

Innings—seven times (led league in 1998 & 2001)

Starts—five times (led league in 1997, 1998, & 2001)

Complete games—11 times (led league in 1996, 1998, 2000, & 2001)

Shutouts—11 times

Hall of Fame Yardsticks

Black Ink: Pitching—42 (33) (Average HOFer ≈ 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching—205 (34) (Average HOFer ≈ 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching—46.0 (48) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching—171.0 (33) (Likely HOFer > 100)

I don’t even know why there is a debate.  Seriously, his postseason heroics alone are enough to put him on the brink of the Hall of Fame.  His career numbers do the rest.  He wasn’t just a compiler either. He put together some fabulous seasons, as evidenced by his top 10 finishes. 

His control, for a power pitcher, is unrivaled.  His 4.38 strikeout to walk ratio is second only to Tommy Bond (who only had 879 Ks), and ahead of Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, and every other hurler who toed the rubber. 

He won over 200 games at a nearly 60 percent clip.  He has over 3,100 strikeouts.  His ERA is almost a full run lower than the league average.  He never won the Cy Young, but was the bridesmaid three times.  He may have won 20 games just three times, but wins aren’t always the best indicator. 

By my standards, he had outstanding years in 1992, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, and 2004, not to mention his postseason dominance.  That is what makes his legacy legendary.  Even before the bloody sock, Curt was known as a big game pitcher. 

He was brilliant in the 1993 ALCS, helping the Phillies earn a trip to the World Series.  He was even more spectacular during the Diamondbacks' improbable 2001 run to the World Series.  He went 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA and 18 Ks in the NLDS as Arizona beat St. Louis. He was 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 12 Ks as they beat Atlanta. 

In the World Series against the heavily favored Yankees, he went 1-0 in three Starts with a 1.69 ERA and 26 Ks.  He pitched well in the 2002 NLDS, but was cut down by St. Louis. 

Then came the historic 2004 season.  He pitched well in a win against the Angels, but injured his ankle.  He got bombed by the Yankees in his first start before gutting out game six to help keep the comeback alive.  Then he pitched six scoreless innings as the Red Sox steamrolled the Cardinals to a curse-reversing World Series win. 

He won three of his four starts (including another World Series win against Colorado) in the 2007 Red Sox World Series run.  The Hall of Fame looks favorably on postseason heroics.  When you couple it with an outstanding regular season career, I don’t get the debate.  Curt Schilling is a Hall of Famer in my book. 
 

References

Baseball-reference.com
Baseball Library