ISW

Mike Mussina called it quits the other day. It was a little surprising for two reasons. One, despite turning 40 shortly, it’s not uncommon for pitchers his age to keep going - just ask Nolan Ryan and Jamie Moyer. Second, he’s coming off a 20-9 season marking the first time he hit the 20-win plateau in his career.

Mussina was an excellent pitcher for both the Baltimore Orioles and the Yankees. There’s no disputing he had a great career. The debate begins with whether he’s a Hall of Famer.

Tough one.

Against: He never dominated, never won the Cy Young, never won MVP, didn’t make the magical 300 wins mark, and his ERA is somewhat elevated at 3.68. Some may assert he never won a World Series. While this may certainly hurt him I personally don’t put too much stock in that.

For: Record 270-153, usually among the league leaders in wins, seven Gold Gloves, he may have had a 3.68 ERA but he consistently posted among the lowest ERA’s in the league throughout his career.

As I mentioned, Mussina never flat out dominated but he generally in the top 10 or 5 in several categories during his career.

Given this, one could conclude Mussina (just like Jack Morris) is a borderline case.