Mike Mussina

Lore & Background

Mussina spent his entire career in the American League East, won at least 11 games in 17 consecutive seasons – an American League record – and recorded a career .638 winning percentage. Among pitchers, he ranks 23rd in strikeouts (2,813), and 23rd all-time in pitching Wins Above Replacement (82.9), 33rd in all-time wins (270), 33rd in games started (535), 66th in innings pitched (3,562.2). A five-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner, Mussina's consistency resulted in six top-five finishes in the voting for his league's Cy Young Award.

Reader's Guide

Mussina was born on December 8, 1968, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. At Montoursville Area High School in Montoursville, Pennsylvania he had a 24–4 win–loss record with a 0.87 earned run average (ERA) for the school's baseball team. In the summer, he played for the Montoursville American Legion Baseball team. While playing baseball in college, he also played in the summertime for Jerseytown, Pennsylvania of the North Branch Baseball League of PA (NBBL).

Mussina also excelled in the sports of football and basketball as his records remain near the top of Montoursville High School's all-time boys' basketball career scoring leaders with over 1,000 points scored. An outstanding placekicker, he received an offer to play college football from Penn State University head coach Joe Paterno, but he turned down the offer to focus on playing baseball. He also received a Division 1 college basketball scholarship offer from Vanderbilt University.

As a high school senior, Mussina just missed being the valedictorian of his graduating class. According to some reports, he intentionally came up short to avoid delivering a commencement speech. Mussina was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1987 but chose to attend college at Stanford University rather than sign. Mussina enrolled at Stanford University, where he played college baseball for the Stanford Cardinal baseball team.

In three years with the Cardinal, Mussina compiled a 31–16 record with a 3.89 ERA. He made two College World Series appearances and was selected as an All-American. His junior year in 1990 was his best, finishing 14–5 with a 3.50 ERA over 149 innings, before being drafted again by the Baltimore Orioles, this time as a first round pick (20th overall). Mussina graduated from Stanford in 1990 with a degree in economics.

He is a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Mussina made his professional debut with the Class AA Hagerstown Suns of the Eastern League in 1990. In the minor leagues, Mussina posted a 2.38 ERA in 189 innings. In 1992, Mussina's first full season with the Orioles, he finished with an 18–5 record and a 2.54 ERA in 241 innings.

His .783 win–loss percentage led the league, and his 1.79 BB/9 was second best behind Chris Bosio. His four shutouts were tied for second in the league behind only Boston's Roger Clemens.

Did You Know?

• In 1995, Mussina started and won Cal Ripken's record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game.
• Mussina struck out 25 batters in the 1997 ALCS, an ALCS record at the time.