Mike Mussina, a former starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, opted for a blank hat for his monument in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Mussina played 18 years in the big leagues, including his first ten seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. Mussina is a former first-round draft pick by the Orioles in 1990. In 2001, Mussina signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees. He played eight seasons in the Bronx before he retired at the age of 39 the end of the 2008 season. Mussina finished his career with 270 wins.
No Logo
If a Hall of Fame played for multiple teams during his illustrious career, the player has the option to choose which cap he will appear on his plaque in Cooperstown.
Mussina is not the first player to have a logoless hat in Cooperstown. Greg Maddux, who pitched with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, has a logoless plaque in the Hall of Fame.
Roy Halladay, who will be enshrined in the same class as Mussina, will also appear on his plaque without a logo on his cap. Halladay split his career between the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. Halladay tragically died in a plane crash in 2017 at the age of 40.
Mike Mussina
Nickname: Moose
Born: December 8, 1968
Hometown: Montoursville, PA
College: Stanford
Draft: 20th Overall by Baltimore in 1990
Position: Starting Pitcher
Throws: Right
Teams: Baltimore Orioles (1990-2000), NY Yankees (2001-08)
Record: 270-153
ERA/WHIP: 3.68 ERA, 1.19 WHIP
Strikeouts: 2,813
World Series Titles: None
World Series Appearances: 2001, 2003
Golden Gloves: 7
Facing his last chance to earn a bid to the Hall of Fame, he secured just enough votes for induction. Mussina earned 76.7 percent on his sixth and final ballot to punch his ticket to Cooperstown.
To Be or Not to Be, Oriole?
All five of Mussina’s All-Star selections occurred with the Orioles. He won 19 games twice in a season, but a 20-win season eluded him in Baltimore.
Mussina played ten seasons with the Orioles and only eight with the Yankees. He wanted to stick around, but the Orioles were bad and not offering him the money he rightly deserved as one of the premium right-handers at the turn of the century.
The Orioles were perennial losers during the next eight seasons Mussina pitched for the New York Yankees. In the same stint, he appeared in the World Series twice and the Yankees were in the postseason for his first seven seasons in New York.
“Both the Yankees and the Orioles were instrumental in my reaching Cooperstown,” Mike Mussina said in a statement. “I am proud to have played for these great organizations, in front of the tremendous fans in Baltimore and New York, and I am honored to have the opportunity to represent them both in the Hall of Fame.”
Fans in Baltimore are irked about the snub. The Orioles had the inside track. After all, they drafted Mussina and he played his first ten seasons as a pro in Baltimore.
20 and Done
Mussina walked away from baseball still at the top of his game. In 2008 at the age of 39, Moose went 20-9 for the Yankees and won 20 games for the first time in his career. He finished with his lowest ERA (3.37 ERA) in seven seasons and a 1.22 WHIP. He pitched 200.1 innings and struck out 150 batters.
Mussina could have pitched a couple of more seasons to secure 300 wins. The 300 plateau is a part of the unwritten criteria that starting pitchers much reach in order to make it to the Hall of Fame. Mussina fell short of the mark with plenty of gas left in the tank. His lowest output in the previous decade had been 11 games. The math suggested he could have secured his 300th victory by the end of the 2010 season, or somewhere in 2011 at the latest. However, Mussina made the calculated decision to step away after hurling the best season of his 18-year career.
Perhaps he should have stuck around for one more season? The Yankees won the World Series in 2009. Although Mussina made it to the World Series twice with the Yankees, they lost both times in 2001 to the Arizona Diamondbacks and 2003 to the Florida Marlins (now known as the Miami Marlins).