Former Major League pitcher Curt Schilling helped the Boston Red Sox win a pair of World Series during his playing days. However, on Tuesday, he revealed that he would not be wearing a Red Sox cap if he is eventually enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
In an interview as a part of the media frenzy leading up to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Schilling, an Arizona native, said he would choose to represent the Arizona Diamondbacks if he ever receives a plaque in Cooperstown.
Knowing Schilling’s education connections to the state, as well as the four seasons he pitched for Arizona, including being named Most Valuable Player of the 2001 World Series, perhaps it isn’t surprising that Schilling would choose that cap over Boston (where he pitched for four seasons) or the Philadelphia Phillies (where he pitched for nine campaigns).
However, as a side note, it’s not always completely up to the player to decide which cap is on his Hall of Fame plaque.
According to Jon Shestakofsky, Baseball Hall of Fame vice president of communications and content, told CBS Sports, “While the Hall of Fame has the final say as to which logo is depicted, we work with the electee to reach an appropriate conclusion that accurately reflects the new electee’s career in the game. All teams, however, are listed in the text of the plaque.”
Additionally, when it comes to Schilling, any possible inclusion in the Hall of Fame will have to come from those who sit on the Contemporary Era Committee, who already passed on him when he was on the ballot in late 2022.
Schilling was on the ballot voted upon by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) for 10 years without drawing the necessary 75% of votes to be elected to the Hall of Fame. He fell 16 votes shy in 2021 before asking to have his name removed from the ballot in 2022, a request which was denied. He received 58.6% of the vote that cycle.
The right-hander posted 3,116 strikeouts during his 20-year career and was a six-time All-Star.