Mike Mussina is expected to retire, according to a source close to the situation. The 40-year-old has quietly put together a remarkable career that includes 270 wins.
Mussina pitched in Baltimore for the first 10 years of his career and the final eight with the New York Yankees. Along the way he managed to maintain a paltry 3.68 ERA and 2,813 strikeouts.
These numbers are slightly short of the sexier 3,000 Ks and 300 wins that pretty much punch a pitcher’s ticket to Cooperstown. But Mussina’s ERA in today’s run-happy climate — one he was able to maintain in the bandbox that is Camden Yards — and his sustained reliability over an 18-year career should not be discounted.
In my humble opinion, he belongs in the Hall of Fame. He was never the elite pitcher in baseball, but he anchored whatever pitching staff he was on and even won 20 games in what will probably prove to be his final season.
What do you think? Should the Moose be enshrined in baseball’s holiest temple? Or is he just not up to par when compared with other hurlers who are already there.
