Curt Schilling
Hard-throwing Curt Schilling helped pitch three different teams to the Fall Classic, but it was his historically heroic effort with the Red Sox in 2004 that cemented his status as a legend in Boston. With his ankle surgically sutured together and bleeding through his sock, Schilling gutted out a dominating performance against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, and won Game Two of the World Series as the Red Sox won their first title in 86 years. When he was traded to the Red Sox prior to the 2004 season, Schilling responded by saying, "I guess I hate the Yankees now." He beat the Bombers twice in the regular season and responded with the Game Six win over them in Yankee Stadium in the LCS to take his place among the greatest post-season performers in baseball history. Schilling finished runner-up in Cy Young voting three times in his career, but he won two post-season MVP awards: in the 1993 NL Championship Series with the Phillies, and in the 2001 World Series for the Diamondbacks.
Quotes About Schilling
"It's probably unfair, I mean, even dating back to the sock, and the soap opera watching him throw in the bullpen and having the doctors and the trainers out there, he really shouldn't have pitched. And I can't remember one moment ever thinking he wouldn't be pitching, and not only that, but that he wouldn't win. And it probably wasn't fair. So I guess that kind of sums up how I feel about Schill." — Red Sox manager Terry Francona on Curt Schilling
Quotes From Schilling
"I guess I hate the Yankees now." — Curt Schilling, when he signed with the Red Sox after the 2003 season.
"Earlier in my career, the two guys I wanted to emulate were Clemens and Maddux. I wanted Clemens' power with Maddux's control. I never quite got to either one of them, but I felt like I was kind of a mishmash of the two in some cases." Curt Schilling after recording his 3,000th career strikeout, in 2006.
"My understanding is that steroids and HGH, one of the main benefits of them, is regeneration. If I can show up September 1 and feel April fresh, I've got a huge advantage, not just that day but on everybody. And I think that's why a lot of pitchers have been caught." — Curt Schilling
"Jose Canseco admitted he cheated his entire career. Everything he ever did should be wiped clean. I think his MVP should go back and should go to the runnerup." — Curt Schilling
"The year he tested positive [2005], nothing he did that year should count, which I think would take away 3,000 hits for him." — Curt Schilling, on Rafael Palmeiro
Played For
Baltimore Orioles (1988-1990)
Houston Astros (1991)
Philadelphia Phillies (1992-2000)
Arizona Diamondbacks (2000-2003)
Boston Red Sox (2004-2005)
All-Time Rankings
Curt Schilling ranks #44 among the Top 50 all-time at SP. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 2001
How about a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 293 to 39? Schilling went 22-6 with a 2.98 ERA to finish second in Cy Young voting, but he saved his best pitching for the post-season. He started six of the Diamondbacks 17 games, going 4-0 with three complete games and a shutout. In 48 1/3 innings, he struck out an amazing 56 batters and walked just six.
Description
Schilling is remarkably focused and driven. Throughout his career he has grown to leadership roles nearly everywhere he has pitched. At times, his outspoken opinions have alienated him from his teammates, some of whom have seen his antics as self-serving. During the 2001 World Series, Schilling was criticized by some for his behavior in the dugout, as he would dramatically bury his head in a towel, seemingly aware of the red light on the camera and when it was trained on him.
Where He Played
With Baltimore and Houston early in his career, Schilling was primarily a relief pitcher. But it was Jim Fregosi in Philadelphia in 1992 who made Schilling a starting pitcher for good.
Born
Curtis Montague Schilling was born on November 14, 1966, in Anchorage, AK.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: P
Primary Team: PHI
College: Yavapai CC
Major League Debut
September 7, 1988
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1988
Craig Biggio
Roberto Alomar
Mark Grace
Gary Sheffield
Brady Anderson
John Smoltz
Randy Johnson
Curt Schilling
Gregg Olson
Related Players
Randy Johnson... The first batter Schilling struck out in the big leagues was Todd Benzinger.
Post-Season Appearances
1993 National League Championship Series
1993 World Series
2001 National League Championship Series
2001 National League Divisional Series
2001 World Series
2002 National League Divisional Series
Post-Season Notes
Entering 2005, Schilling had pitched in 15 post-season games, boasting an 8-2 record with a 2.06 ERA. Most impressively, the righty had recorded 104 strikeouts in 109 1/3 IP.
Awards and Honors
1993 NL NLCS MVP
2001 ML WS MVP
Feats
Three times: in 1997-1998, and again in 2002, Schilling has struck out 300 batters in a season. Since 1980, just five pitchers have reached that plateau: Schilling, Mike Scott, Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martinez.
Milestones
Fanned Nick Swisher for his 3,000th career strikeout, on August 30, 2006, in Oakland... Struck out Darren Dreifort for his 1,000th K, on July 26, 1997... On September 18, 2001, struck out Juan Uribe to record his 2,000th career strikeout.
Transactions
January 14, 1986: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2nd round of the 1986 amateur draft
July 29, 1988: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Brady Anderson to the Baltimore Orioles for Mike Boddicker
January 10, 1991: Traded by the Baltimore Orioles with Steve Finley and Pete Harnisch to the Houston Astros for Glenn Davis
April 2, 1992: Traded by the Houston Astros to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jason Grimsley
July 26, 2000: Traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Omar Daal, Nelson Figueroa, Travis Lee, and Vicente Padilla
November 28, 2003: Traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Boston Red Sox for Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, Jorge de la Rosa, and Michael Goss (minors).
Hall of Fame Artifacts
The cap he wore in the 1993 World Series, on which he wrote "Believe." Also, the bloody sock he wore during Game Six of the 2004 ALCS, and his spikes from the 2004 World Series.
All-Star Selections
1997 NL
1998 NL
1999 NL
2001 NL
2002 NL
Replaced
Right-hander Jose DeJesus.
Best Strength as a Player
Command and control of his pitches, and the ability to perform in the clutch. Each of these skills can be attributed in large part, to Schilling's incredible mental toughness.
Largest Weakness as a Player
If Schilling gets into problems on the mound, it often comes in the first few innings and it's the result of the longball. He has surrendered 25 or more taters five times.
Learn More about Curt Schilling
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