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Full Name: Michael Cole Mussina Primary Position: SP
First Game: August 4, 1991 Birthdate: December 8, 1968
Last Game: September 28, 2008 Birthplace: Williamsport, Pennsylvania
MLB Experience: 18 years Bat/Throw: Left/Right

Biography[]

Born on December 8, 1968 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Mike Mussina (Michael Cole Mussina) played for the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees over the course of his 16 year career. Mussina broke into the bigs on August 4, 1991 with the Baltimore Orioles, and put up a 2.87 ERA in 87.2 innings pitched in 1991, his rookie year.

There is some disagreement on what was Mike Mussina's most productive season. Some believe that it was 2001, when he posted a 3.15 ERA, won 17 games and struck out 214 batters. However, others believe that it was 1992, when he posted a 2.54 ERA, won 18 games and struck out 130 batters.

Mussina, nicknamed "Moose," graduated from Stanford University in December, 1990, earning a degree in economics in just 3 1/2 years. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round (20th pick overall) of the 1990 amateur draft and in 1992, his first full season with the Orioles, went 18-5 with a 2.54 ERA. Mussina continued to post good numbers in Baltimore, featuring two back-to-back 19-win seasons in 1995 and 1996. Mussina helped the Orioles to the playoffs in 1996, where they eventually lost in the ALCS to the Yankees and again in 1997, where they lost in the ALCS to the Cleveland Indians. In Game 3 of that series against Cleveland, Mussina set the ALCS record for strikeouts in a single game when he struck out fifteen Indians. (The record was later tied by the New York Yankees' Roger Clemens in Game 4 of the 2000 ALCS against the Seattle Mariners.)

Following the 2000 season, Mussina decided to leave the Orioles. Mussina signed with the New York Yankees on November 30, 2000 to a 6-year contract. Many Orioles fans saw the move as a failure to act on their hometown team's part. Many fans felt that Orioles management wrongly assumed Mussina would stay loyal to the team, despite being offered more money and being heavily courted by Yankees management.

Mussina pitched well in his first season, posting a 17-11 record with a 3.15 ERA. In the postseason, Mussina started Games 1 and 5 of the 2001 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the 2001 postseason, Mussina posted a 2.63 ERA.

In 2002, Mussina finished 18-10 with a 4.05 ERA. In 2003, Mussina was 17-8 with a 3.40 ERA. In 2004, after high-profile defections by Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and David Wells, Mussina became the unquestionable "ace" of the Yankee pitching rotation. Mussina was plagued by a series of injuries, and wasn't the pitcher he was in 2003 or before. He finished the 2004 season, 12-9 with a 4.59 ERA with a great late-season performance. In 2005, Mussina wasn't the Yankees' ace anymore. He still was inconsistent throughout the season and finished 13-8 with a 4.41 ERA.

Scouting Report[]

Statistics[]

Pitching Stats[]

Year Team G GS W L ERA K R ER CG SHO SV IP H HR BB IB WP HBP
1991 BAL A 12 12 4 5 2.87 52 31 28 2 0 0 87.2 77 7 21 0 3 1
1992 BAL A 32 32 18 5 2.54 130 70 68 8 4 0 241 212 16 48 2 6 2
1993 BAL A 25 25 14 6 4.46 117 84 83 3 2 0 167.2 163 20 44 2 5 3
1994 BAL A 24 24 16 5 3.06 99 63 60 3 0 0 176.1 163 19 42 1 0 1
1995 BAL A 32 32 19 9 3.29 158 86 81 7 4 0 221.2 187 24 50 4 2 1
1996 BAL A 36 36 19 11 4.81 204 137 130 4 1 0 243.1 264 31 69 0 3 3
1997 BAL A 33 33 15 8 3.20 218 87 80 4 1 0 224.2 197 27 54 3 5 3
1998 BAL A 29 29 13 10 3.49 175 85 80 4 2 0 206.1 189 22 41 3 10 4
1999 BAL A 31 31 18 7 3.50 172 88 79 4 0 0 203.1 207 16 52 0 2 1
2000 BAL A 34 34 11 15 3.79 210 105 100 6 1 0 237.2 236 28 46 0 3 3
2001 NYY A 34 34 17 11 3.15 214 87 80 4 3 0 228.2 202 20 42 2 6 4
2002 NYY A 33 33 18 10 4.05 182 103 97 2 2 0 215.2 208 27 48 1 7 5
2003 NYY A 31 31 17 8 3.40 195 86 81 2 1 0 214.2 192 21 40 4 4 3
2004 NYY A 27 27 12 9 4.59 132 91 84 1 0 0 164.2 178 22 40 1 5 2
2005 NYY A 30 30 13 8 4.41 142 93 88 2 2 0 179.2 199 23 47 0 2 7
2006 NYY A 32 32 15 7 3.51 172 88 77 1 0 0 197.1 184 22 35 1 3 5
2007 NYY A 28 27 11 10 5.15 91 90 87 0 0 0 152 188 14 35 2 1 4
2007 NYY A 34 34 20 9 3.37 150 85 75 0 0 0 200.1 214 17 31 3 4 8
Total 537 536 270 153 3.68 2813 1559 1458 57 23 0 3562.2 3460 376 785 29 71 60

Fielding Stats[]

Year Team POS G GS INN PO A ERR DP TP PB SB CS PkO AVG
1991 BAL A P 12 12 87.2 4 11 0 1 0 1 4 4 0 1.000
1992 BAL A P 32 32 241 13 31 1 0 0 1 9 9 1 .978
1993 BAL A P 25 25 167.2 12 19 0 1 0 2 3 6 0 1.000
1994 BAL A P 24 24 176.1 14 28 1 1 0 0 7 6 1 .977
1995 BAL A P 32 32 221.2 12 26 2 3 0 0 4 6 1 .950
1996 BAL A P 36 36 243.1 14 34 0 3 0 0 6 8 0 1.000
1997 BAL A P 33 33 224.2 18 25 0 0 0 0 9 6 0 1.000
1998 BAL A P 29 29 206.1 12 38 0 1 0 0 20 7 0 1.000
1999 BAL A P 31 31 203.1 14 46 1 3 0 0 4 5 0 .984
2000 BAL A P 34 34 237.2 17 26 1 1 0 0 16 3 0 .977
2001 NYY A P 34 34 228.2 18 25 1 4 0 0 9 13 2 .977
2002 NYY A P 33 33 215.2 16 32 1 3 0 0 6 10 0 .980
2003 NYY A P 31 31 214.2 14 35 0 2 0 2 9 10 0 1.000
2004 NYY A P 27 27 164.2 11 28 2 1 0 1 10 3 0 .951
2005 NYY A P 30 30 179.2 9 24 4 5 0 0 15 7 0 .892
2006 NYY A P 32 32 197.1 3 22 0 0 0 0 15 4 0 1.000
2007 NYY A P 28 27 152 12 24 0 4 0 0 24 3 0 1.000
2008 NYY A P 34 34 200.1 18 23 1 4 0 0 12 7 0 .976
Total P 537 536 3562.2 231 497 15 37 0 7 182 117 5 .980

Batting Stats[]

Year Team G AB R H HR RBI AVG OBP SLG 2B 3B BB SO HBP SH SB IBB GDP
1991 BAL A 12 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1992 BAL A 32 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1993 BAL A 25 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1994 BAL A 24 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1995 BAL A 32 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1996 BAL A 36 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1997 BAL A 33 4 0 1 0 0 .250 .250 .250 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
1998 BAL A 29 2 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
1999 BAL A 31 11 1 3 0 4 .273 .273 .364 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
2000 BAL A 34 6 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
2001 NYY A 34 7 0 1 0 1 .143 .143 .143 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
2002 NYY A 33 5 2 3 0 0 .600 .600 .600 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2003 NYY A 31 2 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004 NYY A 27 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 NYY A 30 3 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
2006 NYY A 32 4 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
2007 NYY A 28 2 0 0 0 0 .000 .333 .000 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
2008 NYY A 34 5 0 1 0 0 .200 .200 .200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 537 52 3 9 0 5 .173 .189 .192 1 0 1 9 0 1 0 0 0

Transactions[]

  • Selected by Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round of the free-agent draft - did not sign (June 2, 1987).
  • Selected by Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round (20th pick overall) of the free-agent draft (June 4, 1990 - signed July 28, 1990).
  • Granted free agency (October 27, 2000).
  • Signed by New York Yankees (November 30, 2000).
  • Granted free agency (October 31, 2006).
  • Signed by New York Yankees (November 27, 2006).
  • Granted Free Agency (November 5, 2008)

Trivia[]

See also[]

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