Curt Schilling

Baseball Player

• Born: November 14, 1966
• Place of Birth: Anchorage, Alaska

SPORT: Baseball

Early Life

Curtis Montague Schilling was a military child, born on November 14, 1966, in Anchorage, Alaska. His father, Cliff, who served in the United States Army for more than twenty years, passed along his love of baseball to Curt, the youngest of two children. Schilling’s family moved frequently, living in Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri. The family eventually settled in Arizona, where the warm climate allowed Schilling to play sports all year. Schilling attended Shadow Mountain High School. He had a strong pitching arm and helped his high school team reach the state semifinals. In 1984, his junior year, he attended a Cincinnati Reds tryout camp and pitched the ball at 90 miles per hour. Although Schilling was too young to join the team at the time, he had decided to be a professional baseball pitcher.

The Road to Excellence

Schilling graduated from Yavapai Junior College in Yavapai County, Arizona, and was one of the best pitchers on the Roughriders. His pitching skills helped his school to advance to the 1985 Junior College World Series. In January 1986, during the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, Schilling was a second-round pick of the Boston Red Sox. He was only nineteen years old, but he soon signed a contract with the organization.

The Emerging Champion

Schilling began his minor-league career with the Elmira Pioneers in New York. In 1986, he won seven games, lost three, and had a 2.59 ERA. In the next season, he had more strikeouts, 189, than innings pitched. In July 1988, the Baltimore Orioles traded for Schilling. The Orioles promoted him to the major leagues by the end of that season, and his first major league start helped the team win a game. However, he was not as successful in his remaining starts that season.

Although Schilling was talented, his coaches felt he was immature and did not work hard enough in the off season. Before the 1991 season, Schilling was traded to the Houston Astros. His pitching was erratic during the 1991 season, and the Astros traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies the following year. At this time, Schilling became more serious about his career and spent his off seasons getting into better shape. With the Phillies in 1992, he won fourteen games and had an ERA of 2.35. The following year, he won sixteen games, helped the Phillies reach the 1993 National League Championship Series (NLCS), and pitched in the 1993 World Series. He was named 1993 NLCS Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Continuing the Story

Between 1993 and 1997, Schilling was hampered by elbow, knee, and shoulder injuries. However, by 1997, he was healthy and pitching well again, winning seventeen games in 1997 and fifteen in 1998. In July 2000, Schilling was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2001, he had his best season: He won twenty-two games and lost only six, struck out 293 batters, and ranked second in the league’s ERA and strikeout categories. That year, Schilling helped the Diamondbacks win the World Series against the New York Yankees and shared World Series MVP honors with his teammate and fellow pitcher Randy Johnson.

Schilling pitched well in 2002 but struggled with injuries again in 2003. In 2004, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox and excelled as one of the top pitchers in the league: He won twenty-one games. In the playoffs, the Red Sox faced the New York Yankees. Boston had not won a World Series since 1918, and high hopes were pinned on Schilling. He did not let down Red Sox fans. In the sixth game of the 2004 American League Championship Series in Yankee Stadium, Schilling entered baseball lore when he pitched with a severe right ankle injury. Prior to the game, doctors had cut and stitched the tendons in Schilling’s ankle so that he would be able to push off when pitching. Blood from this minor surgery had seeped through his sock and was noticeable during the game. Despite his discomfort, Schilling pitched well and held the Yankees scoreless during the first six innings. He gave up only one run, and the Red Sox won the game. Then, the Red Sox won game seven, making history by becoming the first team in any major sport to come back from a three-game playoff deficit. The Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series, and Schilling became a hero to Red Sox fans.

Schilling struggled with injuries from 2005 to 2007, but he recorded his three thousandth career strikeout in August 2006, becoming the fourteenth pitcher in baseball history to reach this milestone. In a 2007 game, Schilling was just one pitch away from a no-hitter. He would have been the fourth-oldest pitcher to accomplish this, but instead, he finished with his third career one-hitter. Nevertheless, he helped the Red Sox win another World Series in 2007 despite his injury-prone season. After twenty years in the majors, Schilling retired from baseball in March 2009. After retiring, Schilling became an analyst for ESPN in 2010. In 2014, Schilling announced that he had throat cancer. He announced his cancer was in remission later that year. Schilling was fired from ESPN in 2016 for sharing an anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer (LGBTQ+) post on social media.

Schilling founded the Rhode Island-based video game development company 38 Studios in 2006, which released its first and only game, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, in February 2012. Despite the game receiving good reviews, sales were poor, and 38 Studios declared bankruptcy and shut down in May of that same year. Schilling and 38 Studios then became the focus of a scandal after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Rhode Island State Police announced that they were investigating the circumstances of a $75 million loan provided to 38 Studios by the state of Rhode Island's Economic Development Corporation. Following the investigation, Schilling and 38 Studios were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.

Hall of Fame Pursuits

Schilling was made eligible for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013, yet he was not voted in after appearing on the 2022 ballot for the tenth and final time (players are inducted into the Hall of Fame through a vote held by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, which allows players to appear on the yearly ballot a maximum of ten times). Schilling, who came within 4 percent of the necessary 75 percent of votes needed for induction in 2021, became a controversial figure following his retirement due to a series of divisive comments and actions, including comments supporting anti-evolutionism and anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ+ social media posts. Still, Schilling held fast to his conservative political views. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, he considered running for multiple political offices in various states. In 2024, Schilling joined the conservative sports network Outkick, where he hosted a show providing commentary on the world of baseball without feeling the constraints mainstream media placed on his political views. Schilling remained a divisive figure, loved for his contributions to baseball but unwilling to apologize for his views.

Summary

Curt Schilling earned a place as one of the best pitchers in professional baseball history. He was named to six all-star teams, was a three-time World Series champion, tallied more than 200 career wins and 3,000 career strikeouts, and produced a 3.46 ERA. Besides baseball, Schilling was actively involved in numerous charitable organizations and was given the 2001 Roberto Clemente Award for his combined excellence on the field and in the community.

Bibliography

Christopher, Matt, and Glenn Stout. On the Mound with . . . Curt Schilling. New York: Time Warner, 2004.

Gilbert, Steve. "Schilling Short of HOF in Final Year on Ballot." MLB, 25 Jan. 2022, www.mlb.com/news/curt-schilling-final-hall-of-fame-ballot-2022. Accessed 18 Feb. 2022.

Kelley, James. Curt Schilling. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2005.

McCarthy, Michael, et al. “Curt Schilling Joining Clay Travis' OutKick For New Baseball Show.” Front Office Sports, 16 Apr. 2024, frontofficesports.com/curt-schilling-joining-clay-travis-outkick-for-new-baseball-show. Accessed 11 June 2024.

Mills, Clifford W. Curt Schilling. New York: Facts On File, 2008.

Schilken, Chuck. “Curt Schilling Might Run for Congress. Trump Approves.” Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2019, www.latimes.com/sports/story/2019-08-13/curt-schilling-is-considering-running-for-congress-trump-approves. Accessed 11 June 2024.

Starr, Gabrielle. “Boston Red Sox - Curt Schilling Confirms he Won't Attend Red Sox Home Opener with 2004 Teammates.” Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2024, www.bostonherald.com/2024/03/22/red-sox-curt-schilling-facebook-home-opener-2004-2024-opening-day-fenway-tim-wakefield. Accessed 11 June 2024.

Zuehlke, Jeffrey. Curt Schilling. Minneapolis: Lerner, 2007.