The Yankees have lost their best pitcher…Mike Mussina, who retired Thursday after an 18-year career.
Over the years, Mussina was a rock in the lineup. That great career almost fell into a black hole when he was pulled from the rotation at the end of the 2007 season but, being the true pro that he is, Mussina never complained. He worked out the kinks and finished the 2008 season with a 20-9 record with a 3.37 ERA and 150 strikeouts. It is Mussina’s first 20-win season of his career, with #20 coming in a 6-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Overall, Mussina hangs ‘em up with a 270-153 record, a 3.68 ERA and 2,813 career strikeouts.
Is he a Hall of Famer? He should be…
- 19th all-time is strikeouts
- one of 20 pitchers in history to finish 100 games over .500
- only five pitchers have a higher winning percentage (.638) with as many victories
Another key stat…Mussina pitched his entire career in the American League, actually the AL East, during the Steroid Era. Check out Joel Sherman’s New York Post article here.
Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports, has a nice article on Mussina’s retirement.
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