237+2⁄3) in 2000
Postseason performance
Mussina collected an overall 7–8 record and 3.42 ERA, with 145 strikeouts in 23 career postseason games. His finest postseason occurred in 1997 for the Orioles, when in four games he went 2–0 with a 1.24 ERA in 29 innings pitched while allowing 11 hits, four earned runs, seven walks and 41 strikeouts. [42] Notably, he twice outdueled Seattle Mariners ace Randy Johnson in head-to-head matchups during the ALDS. [43] A feature on The Washington Post 's website ranked his performance the sixth-most memorable moment at Camden Yards. [44]
Pitching style
Early in his career, Mussina's arsenal included a four-seam fastball that topped out at 95 mph, a two-seam fastball, a slider, a changeup, and a plus knuckle-curve. He was always a finesse pitcher, and coming up through the Orioles' organization, he was often compared to Jim Palmer. He received praise for the ability to make in-game adjustments to compensate for days when he was not at his best.
Mussina's prolonged success was also the result of his ability to make adjustments. He added a splitter to his repertoire and replaced his knuckle-curve with a more conventional curveball. [45] He became more skilled at changing speeds with his breaking pitches and using different arm angles to confuse batters as well as to compensate for the diminishing speed of his fastball.
During spring training in 2006, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada noticed the unique grip Mussina used for his changeup and promptly hit a home run off it during an intra-squad game. Posada alerted Mussina to the tip-off, and he adjusted the grip. This new changeup was difficult for batters to recognize and was considered a main reason for his success that season. [46]
Mussina's remarkable results in 2008 were attributed to changes in pitching style. While in the past he was known for painting the outside corner of the plate with a mid-90s four-seam fastball, he began to work on both sides of the plate with his diminished upper-80s fastball. Additionally, when throwing the fastball, he often used the two-seam grip, which gives the ball late breaking motion. Despite his lower fastball velocity, Mussina maintained a significant differential in pitch speed by also lowering the velocity of his changeup. In addition to those more obvious changes, Craig Brown of The Hardball Times also attributed Mussina's renaissance to excellent control, noting that he was walking fewer batters than ever before and was becoming a ground-ball pitcher for the first time in his career. [47]
Throughout his career, Mussina also complemented his pure pitching ability by doing the little things well. He issued very few walks, held baserunners well, and fielded his position superbly.
Hall of Fame debate
Mussina's candidacy for the Hall of Fame was the subject of debate. [48] "Do I compare to some guys who are in? I think I do", Mussina told USA Today in 2006. The only other pitchers to match Mussina's 17 seasons of 10 or more victories are Ted Lyons, Tom Glavine, Gaylord Perry, Phil Niekro, Walter Johnson, Greg Maddux, Warren Spahn, Cy Young, Don Sutton, Tom Seaver, Tommy John and Steve Carlton; all are Hall of Famers, except Tommy John. Of the 23 eligible pitchers who have at least 265 wins and an ERA of 3.69 or less, 20 are in the Hall of Fame, his ERA is the third highest ahead of Bobby Wallace, who was a full-time pitcher for just two seasons, and Red Ruffing. Mussina's consistency was often overshadowed by the dominant peaks of contemporaries like Pedro Martínez and Randy Johnson. Mussina's ERA may have suffered from playing at a time when hitters dominated.
In 2014, Mussina received 20.3% of the vote on his first ballot (75% required for induction). [49] In 2015, he received 24.6% on his second ballot. He rose to 43.0% in 2016 on his third ballot. In his fourth year of eligibility, support for his candidacy continued to steadily increase, as he received 51.8% of the vote. In 2018, he received 63.5% of the vote, inching closer to the 75% mark. Mussina was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame on August 25, 2012. [50]
On January 22, 2019, Mussina was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, receiving 76.71% of the vote. [51] He chose not to have a logo on his bust, saying, "I don't feel like I can pick one team over the other because they were both great to me. I did a lot in Baltimore and they gave me the chance and then in New York we went to the playoffs seven of eight years, and both teams were involved. To go in with no logo was the only decision I felt good about". [52]
Personal life
Mussina married Jana McKissick in 1997. The couple has two sons, Brycen and Peyton. He also adopted his step-daughter Kyra, who is Jana's from a previous marriage. He still resides in his hometown of Montoursville, where he is well known. He often helps out with the athletic programs at his high school and he operates a training camp for student athletes in the area. [53] He serves on the Little League International Board of Directors, based in nearby South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. [54] Mussina is the head basketball coach for the boys' team at Montoursville Area High School. He accepted the position in June 2013. [55] When he received the phone call notifying him that he had been elected to the Hall of Fame, he had just completed a practice with his team. [51]
Mussina is of Slavic descent. [56] Due to his last name, which was Americanized by his ancestors, he is often misidentified as an Italian American; before the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006, Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the players union, even asked him to play for Italy on that assumption. [57]
In December 2014, Mussina was announced as one of the six recipients of the 2015 Silver Anniversary Awards, presented annually by the NCAA to outstanding former student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of the end of their college sports careers. The award is based on both athletic and professional success. [58]
Mussina is also a crossword puzzle enthusiast and was featured in the 2006 documentary film Wordplay . [59] [60]
He is also a collector of tractors and vintage cars.
See also
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References
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- ↑ Jaffe, Jay (December 9, 2016). "Mussina continues long, slow climb to Hall of Fame". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Mike Mussina | American Legion Baseball Alumni | The American Legion". American Legion Baseball .
- ↑ Menges, Christian (June 24, 2017). "Travelers Baseball: Original US Semi-Pro Baseball Organization Celebrates Centennial Anniversary". beBee . Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ↑ Beague, John (June 12, 2013). "Mike Mussina named Montoursville boys hoop coach". The Patriot-News . Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- 1 2 "Mussina, Mike". National Baseball Hall of Fame . Retrieved July 22, 2019.
- ↑ Markus, Don (August 9, 1992). "MYSTERY MAN Mussina defies definition, puzzles hitters". Baltimore Sun . Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ↑ Smith, Chris (November 5, 2001). "Be Like Mike (Mussina) - Nymag". New York . Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ Barra, Allen (November 25, 2008). "Mike Mussina, Businesslike Baseball Great". Wall Street Journal . ISSN 0099-9660 . Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Baseball Draft: 11th Round of the 1987 June Draft". Baseball-Reference . Retrieved November 26, 2008.
- ↑ "Delta Tau Delta Fraternity". Delta Tau Delta . Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Mike Mussina Minor League Record". Baseball-Reference .
- ↑ Richards, Gab (August 11, 1993). "MUSSINA SHAKY BUT SATISFIED IN BOWIE OUTING". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- 1 2 Nakamura, David (August 21, 1993). "SUTCLIFFE GOES TO THE BULLPEN". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- 1 2 Altman, Billy (July 17, 2002). "The All-Star Game: should everyone get to play?". Village Voice . Archived from the original on November 2, 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
- ↑ Elliott, Bob (September 5, 2004). "Mussina should button it". Toronto Sun . Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ↑ "Box score: Baltimore Orioles 4, California Angels 2 (September 6, 1995)". Retrosheet . September 6, 1995. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
- ↑ "Mussina to miss start, avoids DL". Tampa Bay Times . May 16, 1998. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Mussina, Orioles Shutout Tigers". CBS News . April 11, 1998. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ "'Absolutely no way': Mussina says he is resigned to free agency". Sports Illustrated . CNN. July 26, 2000. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2006.
- ↑ "Mussina, Yankees agree on six-year, $88.5M deal". ESPN . November 29, 2000. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
- ↑ Smith, Paul (October 14, 2001). "Mussina, Rivera dominate A's; Yanks stay alive". MLB.com . Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ Smith, Paul (October 16, 2001). "Yankees win Game 5, advance to ALCS against Seattle". MLB.com . Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ Muder, Craig. "Rivera, Mussina pitch Yankees past Red Sox in ALCS". National Baseball Hall of Fame . Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Mussina outpitches Willis, Damon drives in both Yanks' runs". ESPN . Associated Press. June 25, 2006. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ Feinsand, Mark (October 12, 2007). "Yankees bring back Mussina". New York Yankees . MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
- ↑ "Salary Database: Mike Mussina". USA Today . October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ↑ Kepner, Tyler (July 6, 2006). "The Yankees Rebound, but Damon Falls to the Side". The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ Hoch, Bryan (April 21, 2008). "Hank sticking with Yanks' plan for Joba". New York Yankees . MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
- ↑ Hoch, Bryan (June 15, 2008). "Mussina beats Astros, nets 10th win". New York Yankees . Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Yankees blast struggling White Sox as Mussina wins 18th, Abreu drives in six". ESPN . Associated Press. September 18, 2008. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Yanks upend BoSox as Mussina wins 20 games for first time in 18-year career". ESPN . September 28, 2008. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Major League Leaderboards » 2008 » Pitchers » Plate Discipline Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball". Fangraphs . Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ↑ Castrovince, Anthony (September 30, 2008). "Tribe's Lee earns AL Comeback honor". Cleveland Indians . MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Photo Gallery". MLB.com . Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Girardi: Yankees expecting Mussina to retire". CBS Sports . November 19, 2008. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ↑ "Box score: Baltimore Orioles 8, Texas Rangers 0 (July 17, 1992)". Retrosheet . July 17, 1992. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
- ↑ "Box score: Baltimore Orioles 3, Cleveland Indians 0 (May 30, 1997)". Retrosheet . May 30, 1997. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
- ↑ "Box score: Baltimore Orioles 4, Detroit Tigers 0 (August 4, 1998)". Retrosheet . August 4, 1998. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
- ↑ 2001 Official Major League Baseball Fact Book. St. Louis, Missouri. 2001. p. 167. 0-89204-646-5.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ↑ "Box score: New York Yankees 1, Boston Red Sox 0 (September 2, 2001)". Retrosheet . September 2, 2001. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
- ↑ "Playoff Dominance". MussinaHOF.com. January 12, 2008. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ↑ Verducci, Tom (October 13, 1997). "Mike Mussina: The Orioles' righty silenced his critics by twice outdueling Randy Johnson". Sports Illustrated . CNN. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ↑ Sheinin, Dave (October 5, 1997). "Camden Yards' 10 most memorable moments". The Washington Post . Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ↑ Kepner, Tyler (August 18, 2003). "Baseball; Mussina Shuts Down Orioles With Surprise and His Splitter". The New York Times . Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ↑ Verducci, Tom (April 25, 2006). "Wise guys". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on April 28, 2006. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
- ↑ Brown, Craig (August 8, 2008). "The Mussina renaissance". The Hardball Times . Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ↑ Antonen, Mel (July 27, 2006). "Worthy of Cooperstown?". USA Today . Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ↑ Hoch, Bryan (January 8, 2014). "Mike Mussina garners low vote total in Hall of Fame voting". MLB.com . Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ↑ "Orioles Induct Mike Mussina Into Their Hall Of Fame". WJZ-TV . August 25, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
- 1 2 Schoenfield, David (January 22, 2019). "Mariano Rivera, Edgar Martinez, Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina joining Hall of Fame". ESPN . Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ↑ Memmott, Zachary (July 19, 2019). "Baseball Hall of Fame: Mike Mussina was equally brilliant for both Yankees and Orioles". North Jersey Media Group . Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ↑ "Mussina, No celebrity status". Angelfire . October 26, 2001. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ↑ "Little League International Board of Directors". Little League Baseball . Archived from the original on March 6, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2007.
- ↑ "Mike Mussina new Montoursville boys basketball coach". Williamsport Sun-Gazette . June 11, 2013. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
- ↑ Kepner, Tyler (July 9, 2008). "Lots of Lip Fur at Yankee Stadium". The New York Times . Retrieved June 2, 2009.
- ↑ Blum, Ron (March 2, 2006). "Will Baseball Tournament Be a Classic?". redOrbit. Associated Press . Retrieved June 2, 2009.[ dead link ]
- ↑ Durham, Meghan (December 4, 2014). "NCAA honors six former athletes with Silver Anniversary Awards | NCAA.com". NCAA . Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ↑ Wordplay at IMDb
- ↑ Wolf, Buck (June 15, 2005). "'Wordplay' De-nerds Crossword Craze". ABC News . Retrieved March 26, 2007.
External links
- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
| Mike Mussina | |
|---|---|
Mussina in 2019 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:December 8, 1968 Williamsport, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 4, 1991, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 2008, for the New York Yankees |
Stanford Cardinal 1988 College World Series champions | |
|---|---|
| |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |