Curt Schilling Retires

After letting the world know that he'd love to pitch for the Rays or Cubs this season and hearing nothing in return from those teams, Curt Schilling went on his blog Monday morning and let the world know that he's retiring from the game of baseball.

More Coverage: Schilling's Case for Cooperstown

On his blog, Schilling wrote:

This party has officially ended. After being blessed to experience 23 years of playing professional baseball in front of the world's best fans in so many different places, it is with zero regrets that I am making my retirement official.

To say I've been blessed would be like calling Refrigerator Perry 'a bit overweight'. The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime.

After missing all of the 2008 season with a shoulder injury, Curt Schilling had surgery in June and did so saying that he'd be ready to pitch again come this summer. That would have been good for Schilling if not for one tiny, somewhat significant problem: no teams were interested in a 42-year-old pitcher coming off of shoulder surgery, even if he has helped win three World Series trophies.

Schilling leaves the game with those three World Series rings and a career record of 216-146, a 3.46 ERA, and 3,116 strikeouts. Whether or not those numbers are good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame, we'll have to wait five years and find out. I think they are, especially when you consider that Schilling did it all in the middle of the steroid era.

You can say what you want about the guy's personality, but he truly was one of the greatest big-game pitchers of the last 20 years.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-23-2009 @ 11:39AM

huntsmangil said...

You get into the hall of fame by your overall performance. Okay, he was 11-2 in the big games but only 70 wins more than losses in the regular season. Obviously, he was not the sole reason his teams made it to the playoffs.

He is NOT a hall of famer. He was a good pitcher with good teams. NOT a great pitcher & that is what the hall of fame is for GREAT players!!!

3-23-2009 @ 12:11PM

forrestfreedman said...

Curt Schilling is a 1st ballot Hall of Famer, no questions asked. Not only did he assist in three world championship temas, but also without his clutch performances, including his bloody ankle sox (Picture of the Ultimate Red Sock, in prominently displayed in my office ), those teams probable don't win...period.

As far as retiring, I hope tha tif the Red Sox are in need of strong second half middle to late relief, that they express interest in Schilling as his intangibles could help them win a World Series in 2009. As far as his opinions are concerned, he's been dead on most of the time and wants cheaters to be accountable for their actions and what's wrong with that?

3-23-2009 @ 1:00PM

gd said...

HOF

3-23-2009 @ 2:36PM

glen said...

If Bert Blyleven can't make the HOF with his records for wins and strikeouts then Curt Schilling should never make it in!!Glen

3-23-2009 @ 4:13PM

Rich Cantwell said...

huntsmangil is absolutely right. HOF is for consistantly GREAT players, (at least it should be). 215 wins (9.3 avg.) 3,116 SO's (135/yr. avg) not hall worthy.

3-23-2009 @ 8:55PM

Nelson said...

Lets see, he played for the red sox and kicked the YANKEES in the ass. Tomany seasons. Let me think in or out. Hummmmmmmmm.... I"m thinking, damn it hurts.. HOF.... Kurt (the NAZI) Shillin...IN or out.... Fuck him.... OUT......