Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: If Schilling's career is over, he leaves a lasting legacy with Red Sox

June 20, 2008

If Schilling's career is over, he leaves a lasting legacy with Red Sox

Friday's news that Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling will undergo season-ending surgery didn't really come as a huge surprise. Schilling, 41, seemed like a long shot to return this season after revealing his shoulder injury back in February.

Still, that shouldn't stop us from appreciating what the veteran right-hander accomplished during his 20-year career, which included four seasons and two World Series titles with Boston.

Schilling will have surgery on Monday after the team's rehabilitation program failed to fix the injury. It's quite possible, likely even, that Schilling's career is over. He said as much on Friday.

"My season is over and there is a pretty decent chance I have thrown my last pitch forever," Schilling told sports radio station WEEI.

Schilling put his career on the line during the 2004 playoffs, when he led the Red Sox to their first championship in 86 years despite famously pitching on an injured ankle that was seeping blood. He was never really the same after that, although he did go 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA in 2006.

Last season, Schilling struggled a bit with injuries and still went 9-8 in 24 starts with a 3.87 ERA. More importantly, he was 3-0 in four playoff starts with a 3.00 ERA. It's that big-game ability that could land Schilling a spot in the Hall of Fame five years after he retires.

"Coming back from this surgery at 31 would be an enormous challenge, at 41 more so," Schilling wrote on his blog, 38pitches.com. "BUT, if that is an option at least I'll be able to make that decision with all the cards on the table, and it will end on terms I choose. I won't come back throwing 85 with so-so crap. If there is not an option to come back and be good, I won't."

Schilling's courageous performance in the 2004 playoffs will go down as his signature moment, one that will be remembered by Red Sox fans forever. The rest of his career wasn't bad either. Schilling won 20 games three times, in 2001 (22-6, 2.98 ERA) and 2002 (23-7, 3.23 ERA) with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and in 2004 (21-6, 3.26 ERA) with Boston.

His career regular-season numbers are very good: a 216-146 record, 3.46 ERA and 3,116 strikeouts. On their own, however, they're probably not Hall of Fame material. Schilling never won the Cy Young award either, beaten out on a couple occasions by Arizona teammate Randy Johnson.

What he does have, though, are arguably the best postseason stats of any pitcher in baseball history.

In 19 playoff starts, Schilling is 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA. He's allowed 104 hits in 131 1/3 innings, striking out 120. He played major roles on three championship teams: Arizona in 2001 and Boston in 2004 and 2007. To me, that's his ticket to Cooperstown.

Say what you want about Schilling's politics, personality or penchant to seek the spotlight, but the guy is a warrior and one of the best big-game hurlers we've ever seen. He is often a lightning rod for criticism, as witnessed by his comments about Kobe Bryant during the NBA finals, but there's no denying his pitching credentials.

In the short term, Schilling's injury won't have that big of an effect on the Red Sox. Boston's staff remains one of the best in baseball, led by Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield. Young arms Clay Buchholz and Justin Masterson have proven they can win in the big leagues, and Bartolo Colon showed flashes before landing on the disabled list this week.

The Red Sox shouldn't have a problem making the playoffs, but it's a good bet that they'll miss him in the postseason. With Schilling's track record, it would be impossible not to.

Red Sox fans should take a moment today to tip their caps to Schilling for what he accomplished in Boston. He laughed in the face of the Curse and twice helped deliver championships to the Red Sox. His is a career that won't soon be forgotten.

Posted by Frank Coppola at June 20, 2008 02:10 PM

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