A lot has happened in baseball since the last time I have had the opportunity to be a part of BaseballHistorians.com. I want to thank everyone responsible for making this a reality for me again this year. I hope to become a spark that enables discussion, and hopefully bring you the information that makes this season a memorable one.
I welcome comments and opinions, as always, and I am really looking forward to spending this time with you here as we celebrate another World Series victory for the Bronx Bombers in 2009.
One of the bigger off season stories was the retirement of Mike Mussina. I thought it would be a great way to get started here again this season.
Now let us go back to the day “The Moose” announced his retirement. I was driving home from work and “sports at :15 and :45 past each hour,” told me that Mike Mussina is retiring from Major League Baseball. The day was November 20, 2008.
I came home and wrote this…
Some Things Still Get Better With Age
Thursday November 20, 2008 will live in the memories of every baseball fan, and especially every Yankee fan, as Mike Mussina announced his retirement today. The soon to be 40 year old right-hander leaves behind a career that started in the Baltimore Orioles organization in 1991, where he went 4-5 and had a 2.87 ERA in a total of 87.2 innings pitched, and ended with the 2008 season, where he took the mound for the New York Yankees in 200.1 innings, winning 20 games (for the first time in his career), and kept a low 3.37 ERA in the offensive strong AL East.
His career numbers are as follows: 270 Wins, 153 Loses, with a 3.68 ERA, over 537 Games (536 Started), and 3,562.2 innings pitched. Amazing.
He is overflowing with accolades, achievements, and awards. He is a five-time All Star, has six top five finishes in the voting for the AL Cy Young (finishing 2nd behind Pedro Martinez in 1999), and was sixth in voting this year (2008).
As one of the best fielding pitchers baseballs ever seen, he won seven Gold Gloves, four straight from 1996-1999 with the Baltimore Orioles, and the remaining in 2001, 2003, and filling his trophy case this year with one as well with the New York Yankees.
The Hall of Fame discussion can begin now, but not before you look at where he stands among the all time greats of the game. He finishes his 18 year career surrounded by current Hall of Famers on every list baseball has to offer in pitching. He was just 30 Wins shy of 300, with 270, tying him for 33rd overall with Burleigh Grimes, and his 2813 Strikeouts puts him at 19th overall (19 behind Mickey Lolich), and 10 ahead of the man that baseball named the crown jewel of pitching after, Mr. Cy Young himself.
Baseball is a game of numbers, and Mike Mussina has surely compiled enough of them over his career to be in same conversation with the greats. His 123-72 record with the Yankees, and 147-81 record with the Orioles makes him only the second pitcher since 1900 to be at least 50 games over .500 for two different teams (Randy Johnson the other). Given that both of these teams are in the before-mentioned powerhouse AL East that is no small triumph.
Baseball will miss Mike Mussina tremendously, but not as much as the Yankees. He has been the solid and steady force off the mound for the club since his free agent signing in 2001. This type of work horse, who gets the job done, day in and day out, year after year, are becoming harder and harder to find these days in the big leagues. It’s nice to have such a long look at this class individual. He did what many professionals strive to do their whole careers, finish on top, and that’s exactly what he did. Congratulations on a Hall of Fame career, and thank you for the wonderful memories you brought each and every one of us Yankee and Baseball fans over the years.
