Please allow me to introduce my new 26th favorite player in Major League baseball, Shannon Stewart. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth on the verge of Curt Schilling’s first career no-hitter, Stewart stepped to the plate with all intentions of becoming a hero to Red Sox haters everywhere. And with one swing of the bat, we thank you Shannon Stewart.

It has become an annual topic of discussion as player’s careers’ come to a close and in the case of Curt Schilling it is highly debatable. Many have to wonder how Hall of Fame consideration will be affected by modern baseball’s evolution of the pitcher and whether the Hall standards of 300 wins and/or a .650 winning percentage will be challenged with today’s game relying heavily on strategy and the use of relief pitchers. As Curt Schilling looks back on his career when it is all said and done, Shannon Stewart’s name will likely come across his mind as he continues to wait for his call to the Hall of Fame. At age 41, Schilling has a career winning percentage of .603 with 213 wins and 3081 strikeouts. With a couple of more seasons under his belt, it is unlikely that he even reaches 250, let alone 300 wins. And although Schilling may fall short of that 250 career mark, his win total should surpass current Hall of Famers: Whitey Ford (236), Jim Bunning (224), Catfish Hunter (224), Don Drysdale (209), Bob Lemon (207), Dazzy Vance (197), Rube Waddell (193), Lefty Gomez (189) and Sandy Koufax (165).

Wins aside, Schilling may be able to make a case with his other career numbers. His 3081 strikeouts is good for 14th on the all-time list and is just 261 shy of 10th. He is one of four pitchers including Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Sandy Koufax to have three (or more) 300+ strikeout seasons. He is fourth among active pitchers behind Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, and Randy Johnson with 83 career complete games and sixth in shutouts with 20. He ranks tenth among active pitchers with a career 3.44 ERA. He is a six time all-star and has led the league in wins twice and strikeouts three times. The numbers don’t lie, as hard as it is to admit, he has to be considered one of the most dominant pitchers of his era.

As for the awards, Schilling has never won a Cy Young or MVP but has shined during the postseason, winning the 1993 NLCS MVP and 2001 World Series Co-MVP along with two World Series rings. He has an 8-2 win-loss record in the playoffs with a four complete games, two shutouts, a 2.06 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched. During the 2001 World Series against the New York Yankees, he started three of the seven games and finished with a 1-0 record and a 1.06 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 21 innings. And finally, he was the protagonist to of one of the greatest postseason stories of all-time during 2004, returning from an unthinkable ankle surgery to defeat the Yankees and secure his place in the Hall of Fame with a Red Sock.

Ultimately, as the game continues to evolve, I have to believe, with full regret, that Curt Schilling will one day find his place among baseball’s immortals. But what I want to believe is that even with his long resume, the one line he couldn’t add yesterday may have denied him what should be a secure spot in baseball’s Hall of Fame all thanks to my new 26th favorite player, Shannon Stewart. Ha ha Curt Schilling!

(6 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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