If the Red Sox had had a healthy Curt Schilling in their rotation at the end of the 2008 season, they might have won their third World Series in the last five years.
Schilling, of course, owned an 11-2 career record in post-season play, and he was 6-1 for the Red Sox. But he missed all of last season with a shoulder injury and will likely retire.
Enter John Smoltz and his 15-4 lifetime record in the post-season with a 2.65 ERA and a record 194 strikeouts. No one has won more post-season games in baseball history than Smoltz.
The Red Sox made it clear at Smoltz’s introductory press conference today that they’d much rather have him pitching in October than in April. So they have no plans to rush him back into action following his off-season shoulder surgery.
“I don’t know if John would say this, but we feel if we absolutely had to have him in for April, physically he’d be capable to do that,” GM Theo Epstein said. “But we’re looking at the big picture here. I see him starting important games for us late in the season and, hopefully, into October.”
It was the same role they envisioned for Schilling at this time last year before it was learned he would be unable to pitch. The plan was to begin using Schilling in mid-season. And they missed him down the stretch when they finished two games behind the Rays in the AL East and in the post-season when the Rays eliminated them in the ALCS in seven games.