Mike Mussina Pitching a Stellar Season for the Yankees in 2006

It’s no secret that in some ways, Mike Mussina has played second fiddle for quite some time in his pitching career with the Yankees. Some amazing pitchers have worked along side of him – Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite and now, Randy Johnson. But whereas some thought that the Moose would choke this year and the Big Unit (Johnson) would be the ace the Yankees so desperately needed, it has turned out to be the opposite. And no one is happier than the legions of fans that Mussina has unknowingly amassed over the years. This year, Mussina adds himself to a list of veteran pitchers who are doing well as opposed to their previous few seasons. And with a record (as of 6/22/06) of 8-3, he has every right to consider himself the ace of the New York Yankees.

At the start of his major league career, Mussina was a shining star ready to take on the big batters and the big hits that he had grown up watching in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. During his first full major league season with the Baltimore Orioles, he went 18-5 with an ERA of 2.54. But his career with the Orioles didn’t stop there. He got three Golden Gloves while pitching for the Orioles (and went on to win two more with the Yankees). He won 19 games in 1995 and also in 1996, and in 1997, he set a record for the most strikeouts in one game with fifteen. That record was later tied by his future teammate, Roger Clemens. But Moose didn’t stay with the O’s and many are ridiculously glad that that was the case.

In 2000, Mussina signed a six year contract with the Yankees, no-trade clause and all. He pitched with Clemens, Pettite and the infamous David Wells. And after they all left, he was left as the pitcher everyone was depending on. And maybe the pressure was too much, maybe he had gone too long without an injury, maybe he just subconsciously needed a break, but the Moose wasn’t the pitcher we all knew at the beginning. In the 2005 season, he finished with a record of 13-8. Moose fans all over the country were stuck defending their favorite pitcher as someone who had a bad year when others would call him a washed up veteran with nothing left. Imagine everyone’s surprise when he turned out to be the one to turn to instead of the Yanks’ newest ace, Randy Johnson.

But no one is here to insult the Big Unit. He may be inconsistent this season, but when he has a good game, it’s great. It’s just that no one would have believed that Moose would already have a complete game this season, or that he would be fourth in the American League in wins, with 8, and second in the AL in strikeouts, with 94. Sure, Moose’s last outing wasn’t what anyone was expecting. Pitching against the Phillies in interleague play on June 20, 2006, he gave up two homeruns and a triple to Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard. It could have been that Mussina was having a bad day, but it also could have been that Howard was having one of the games of his life.

So, Mussina fans everywhere, seeing how great he has been doing, are chomping at the bit for that perfect game. He’s come so close a total of five times, and every time someone gets that hit, that one hit that just destroys any hope that he’ll achieve that elusive perfect game, we all hope for the next time, the time when he’ll blow that knuckle-curve by the other team so fast that the other team won’t know what hit them. But even if there’s no perfect game this season, even if Mussina doesn’t get yet another Gold Glove for the AL, he has still accomplished something no one could have imagined a year ago – and it’s only June. He has given some hope to the swarms of Yankee fans that can’t stop complaining about bad pitching and bad trades. And he’s gaining more and more fans everyday.

The Moose is loose, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s watch him knuckle-curve his way to October baseball.