Tag Archives: Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling

H2H 70: Mike Mussina vs. Curt Schilling – Who was Better?

In 2019, Mike Mussina was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his sixth year of eligibility with 76.7% of the vote, just barely clearing the 75% threshold needed for induction.  In contrast, Curt Schilling, in his seventh year of eligibility, finished on the outside looking in with 60.9% of votes; in 2020, he continued to inch closer to induction, but missed out once again with 70.0% of votes.  While there has been much speculation about Schilling’s personality, political affiliations, and other post-career activities hurting his Hall of Fame chances, interestingly, when you look at the careers and accomplishments of Mussina and Schilling side-by-side, they are actually very comparable – thus, this leads to the question:

Who was better – Mike Mussina or Curt Schilling?

Continue reading

H2H 22: Roger Clemens vs. Randy Johnson – Who was Better?

Disclaimer: I am well aware that Roger Clemens was alleged to have used steroids in the Mitchell Report and later indicted for his testimony to Congress; these allegations over his steroid use are the primary reason why he is currently not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  With all of this background in mind, this head-to-head between Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson is meant to compare them based solely on their career numbers and achievements without judgment on whether or not Clemens is guilty of steroid use during his career.

While baseball pitchers come in many shapes and sizes, one of the enduring prototypes is the overpowering strikeout pitcher, from Walter Johnson in the early modern era to Bob Gibson in the mid-20th century to the likes of Max Scherzer today.  Throughout the long history of baseball, however, the list of pitchers who have achieved the dual milestones of 300+ career wins and 4,000+ career strikeouts is short and contains only four names: Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson.  Of this foursome, The Rocket and The Big Unit were modern contemporaries who were among the elite power arms of the 1990s and 2000s (along with the likes of Pedro Martinez). As two of the best pitchers in recent history, there is a natural comparison in stacking them up against each other and asking:

Who was better – Roger Clemens or Randy Johnson?

Continue reading