Schilling Sullen After Win In Finale

BOSTON—Terry Francona walked to the mound after Curt Schilling finished his warm-up tosses in the eighth inning Tuesday intending to give Schilling the opportunity to finish an often-frustrating 2006 season with a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 36,134.

But was Schilling walking off the field for the last time ever?

Almost certainly not. But Schilling wouldn’t commit to returning in 2007 after he tossed seven strong innings in his final start of the season to lead the Red Sox past the Devil Rays, 5-1.

“If I come back next year, I know that the off-season will be the hardest of my career because I’ll have to work harder than I’ve ever worked,” Schilling said. “I don’t want to come back and pitch. I want to come back and be the best. At this time in my life, that involves a lot more time and effort away from the ballpark. So that’s a huge question for me. It’s a huge issue to delve into and deal with.”

Asked if he was unsure if he would return, Schilling said “Well, going into next year...” before his voice trailed off.

An immediate retirement appears unlikely for Schilling, who has said throughout this season that he will retire when his contract expires after next season and that he hopes to finish his career with a flourish. “God willing, I’ll stay healthy through the next year and couple months and I’ll call my own shot,” Schilling said during an interview with Diehard Aug. 16. “That’s appealing to me.”

Schilling’s comments Tuesday came at the end of a press conference in which the ace struck a sullen tone in discussing his 2006 performance. Schilling, who missed much of 2005 due to lingering problems with his surgically repaired right ankle, is a leading candidate for AL Comeback Player of the Year honors and the clear ace of the Sox staff.

He recorded the 200th win and 3,000th strikeout of his career—of the 10 pitchers to accomplish both feats, nine are in the Hall of Fame—and will finish the season as the big league leader in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.54) while leading the Sox in ERA (3.97), strikeouts (183), WHIP (1.22) and, possibly, innings (at 204 innings, he’s six ahead of Josh Beckett, who is scheduled to make his final start of the season tonight).

Schilling lasted seven innings or more a team-best 17 times in 31 starts and went 6-3 with four no-decisions in 13 starts immediately after Sox losses. “He was leaned on heavily after losses, after a few losses in a row, to get things going the right way, and he always answered the bell,” Jason Varitek said. “And it’s something he continued to do over and over and over. And he was very consistent.”

But Schilling, who turns 40 in November, also set a career high in opponents’ batting average (.276) while allowing more than a hit per inning and failing to record a complete game for the first time ever. In addition, he finished with his highest ERA and averaged less than seven innings per start for the first time since his first full season in the rotation in 1993.

Schilling was also disappointed he only won 15 games. Another run at 20 wins appeared likely when Schilling won his first four starts and recorded his 14th win Aug. 4, but Schilling struggled as the Sox faded in August: He had a 5.96 ERA in his final five August starts and missed three starts earlier this month due to a lat injury.

“It’s disappointing on a lot of levels to have it go the way it went,” Schilling said. “Such a promising start to everything, but you’ve got to take it for what it is. Eight weeks ago, we were in position to do something and I was looking at a 23-, 24-, 25-win season and all that comes with it. And I am starting here tonight trying to get my 15th win. A lot of disappointment there.”

Varitek said he admires Schilling’s high expectations but that he was unfairly critical in his self-evaluation. “Curt was instrumental to the whole pitching staff,” Varitek said. “He shouldn’t be that hard on himself...I don’t agree with the fact that he should have grabbed more wins. That comes down to us.”

Schilling’s performance Tuesday served as an appropriate symbol to a season that was inconsistent by his standards. He allowed just one run, struck out nine and threw an economical 101 pitches in seven innings. But he also walked a season-high four and allowed a baserunner in every inning.

“I think it’s a constant battle because he strives for so much perfection,” Francona said. “You know he’s always trying to get better, but from where he was and the obstacles he had, I thought he did great. You know, whatever he does—whether it’s good, bad or in between—you get everything he has. That’s all you can ask.”

Presuming Schilling returns in 2007, he knows what he’ll ask of himself: A renewed commitment to the mental of the game. In focusing so much on his physical well-being after his ankle woes, Schilling said he “took for granted” that his mental approach would remain the same.

“A lot of things go into going out there every fifth day—for me, mental preparation is at the top of the list,” Schilling said. “I just wasn’t consistently confident. After the first four starts, I never put it together on a consistent basis. And that’s my own issue, my own problem, and it’s something that I would need to address.

“I always assumed mentally that I was so good that I wouldn’t need to work as hard on that aspect of my game to get back to where I was before the surgery. And nothing could have been further from the truth. I should have known better.”


Diehard managing editor Jerry Beach can be reached at [e-mail]. To receive a free issue of Diehard, call 888-979-0979.