Mike Mussina to retire from Yankees

November 19, 8:29 PMNew York Yankees ExaminerPete Sabatini

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After 18 years in the game, ten as an Oriole and eight as a Yankee, righty pitcher Mike Mussina is retiring from baseball at 39-years-old.

Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com is reporting that Mussina will make his official announcement later this week.

According to the report, Moose has waited as long as he has in order to get past the announcements of 2008 awards.

After his first 20-win season, seventh Gold Glove, and finishing sixth in Cy Young voting, Mussina is clearly finishing his great career on a high note.

Now the debate over whether Mussina is destined for the Hall of Fame can begin. 

According to the Hall, “voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”

He may never have won the Cy Young or the World Series, but nine times in the top six of Cy Young voting, career 3.68 ERA and 3.42 postseason ERA, .270 wins, 638 win percentage, and 17 seasons of 10 or more wins and 11 seasons of 15 or more make a strong case.

Integrity, sportsmanship and character?  No question.

That’s a career of astounding consistency and steady dominance that puts Mike Mussina alongside the likes of Hall of Famers Jim Palmer and Juan Marichal.

The formal announcement of Moose’s retirement may very well be the Yankees’ cue to re-sign Andy Pettitte.  Pettitte has made very clear that he would like to return as a Yankee and money is not an issue.  More on Pettitte’s intentions here.

Tony DeMarco lays out the Hall of Fame debate here.

Thanks to this site for the photo.