Curt Schilling might be one of those bubble guys when it comes to the Hall of Fame.
Critics will point out that he never won a Cy Young, was injury-prone, won only 216 games in his career (300 is the magic number that gets you in), won 20 games in a season only three times, and 10 times won 11 or fewer games.
That’s all true. And that would keep some pitchers out of the Hall.
But here’s what separates Schilling: He might have been the greatest postseason pitcher in the history of the game.
His regular-season numbers (216-146, 3.46 ERA, 3,116 strikeouts) are decent enough, but he was at his best in October.
Remember the three gems he pitched for the Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series (one of the best Fall Classics ever)? Schilling was 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 21 innings, and was named co-MVP of that Series with Randy Johnson.
Remember the bloody sock in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS vs. the Yankees? He gave up just one run in seven innings while bleeding due to a tear in his Achilles heel. He won the game and the Red Sox went on to win the World Series, ending the team’s 86-year drought.
Or 2003, with the Phillies down 3-1 to the Blue Jays in the World Series, when he pitched a five-hit shutout in Game 5 to keep his team in the hunt?
Or the gutsy effort in Game 2 of the 2007 World Series, which turned out to be his last game as injuries shut down his career?
Schilling was 11-2 in the postseason, which is the best winning percentage (.846) of any pitcher in baseball with at least 10 decisions. (John Smoltz is second at .789 with a 15-4 record, followed by Josh Beckett .778/7-2 and Red Ruffing .778/7-2).
His postseason ERA of 2.23 in 19 starts was the best of any pitcher who made at least 15 starts. (Orel Hershiser is next at 2.59, followed by jim Palmer 2.61, Smoltz 2.65 and Whitey Ford 2.71).
In short, he was money in the playoffs, and isn’t that what matters most? His career win total suffered because he pitched for the Orioles and Phillies for the first half of his career. And, while he never won a Cy Young, he was runner-up three times.
Oh, and he did all this during the Steroid Era in baseball. That should count for something.
Based on his stats the simple answer is NO! 216 wins in how many years, so-so ERA all are factors against his admittance to the HOF. Of course, if he took the early part of his career as seriously as he did at the end, the numbers would be there. What was the most overused phase during the NCAA selection show, “the total body of work”.