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Phillies Wall of Famer Curt Schilling falls short of Cooperstown enshrinement

By George Stockburger

SAN FRANCISCO - JULY 8: Pitcher Curt Schilling #38 of the Philadelphia Phillies steps into a pitch during an MLB game on July 8, 1992 against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO - JULY 8: Pitcher Curt Schilling #38 of the Philadelphia Phillies steps into a pitch during an MLB game on July 8, 1992 against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /
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Schilling misses the Hall, while four former Phillies fall off the ballot

In a Hall of Fame class that includes Jeff Bagwell, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, and Tim Raines, Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling dropped in the votes.

Enshrines’s must receive 75% of the vote, and anyone receiving less than 5% of the vote is no longer eligible to be voted by the Baseball Writers Association.

Schilling received 45% of the vote after receiving 52% last year.

Schilling received harsh blowback after publicly supporting President-elect Donald Trump, and posting insensitive messages on social media. Some voters took the right-hander off their ballots completely, while others ignored the issue and focused on the player.

Schilling is the first Phillie to be elected to Cooperstown since Pedro Martinez in 2015, who had a short stint during the club’s World Series run in 2009. General manager Pat Gillick was inducted through the veterans committee as an executive, and Ryne Sandberg earned the honor in 2005.

The late, legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas was inducted in 2002 after winning the Ford C. Frick award.

No Phillies player with at-least a full seasons’ worth of playing time has been elected to the Hall of Fame since Tony Perez in 2005. The last time the Phillies were an inducted players’ primary team was in 1995 when Mike Schmidt and Richie Ashburn both went in together.

Only 11 Hall of Famers have the Phillies designated as their primary team, and just three are pitchers: Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, and Grover Cleveland Alexander.

Through 20 seasons in the big leagues, Schilling accumulated 216 wins, 3,116 strikeouts, and six all-star appearances. He was the runner-up for the Cy Young three times, twice to teammate Randy Johnson, and once to Roger Clemens.

Schilling pitched nearly half of his 20 major league seasons in Philadelphia, winning 101 of his 216 career wins with the Phillies. With an ERA of 3.35 while with the Fightin’s Schilling led the league in complete games three times wearing red pinstripes. No pitcher has matched Schilling’s 15 complete games since his 1998 season.

In Phillies history, Schilling is seventh in wins, ninth in innings pitched, fifth in strikeouts, seventh in games started, and fifth in WAR. Schilling broke Steve Carlton’s record for strikeouts in a season in 1997 with 319.

Next year five former Phillies will be eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time, including the shoo-in Jim Thome. Brad Lidge, Kevin Millwood, Jamie Moyer, and Scott Rolen will also be on the ballot. Non-Phillies will include Chipper Jones, Johan Santana, Andruw Jones, and Johnny Damon will be on the ballot for the first-time as well.

The 2019 class gets even more exciting, with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Juan Pierre, and Michael Young representing the Phillies. Mariano Rivera, Todd Helton, and Lance Berkman will also be up for voters.

Bobby Abreu and Cliff Lee will be up in 2020, along with Derek Jeter.

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