Curt Schilling announced his retirement on Monday after 20 years pitching in the Majors. There was no major press conference, just a short post on his blog.
"Turn out the lights the party's over," Schilling wrote on his 38 Pitches blog.
He is best remembered for pitching with a bloody sock in the 2004 World Series. But, before he became a legend in Boston (and Arizona for the matter) he was an ace in Philly.
He made a name for himself while pitching for the Phillies during the franchise's improbable run to the 1993 National League Pennant.
Schilling was one of the most clutch big game pitchers of his generation. He almost single-handedly kept the Phillies alive in the 1993 World Series by pitching a complete game five-hitter in game 5.
He threw an incredible 147 pitches in the Phillies 2-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Schills would continue his dominance with some bad Phillies teams throughout the 1990's. He twice broke the 300-strikeout mark with the Phightins.
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His best season as a Phillie came in 1997 when he went 17-11 with a 2.97 ERA and 319 K's for a team that only won 68 games.
Schilling quite simply was great -- for a long period of time.
He is the only pitcher to ever win a World Series start with three different teams. But, he also represented three different teams (including the Phillies) in the All-Star game.
Simply put, anywhere Schilling pitched he was beloved. The fan love didn't stop when he left Philly or anywhere else.
So, from Baltimore to Houston to Philly to Phoenix to Boston, fans can all unite to say goodbye to the guy that gave sweat and blood (literally) to their team.
So long Curt -- see you in Cooperstown.
