Nov 19th 2008 11:45PM by Josh Alper (author feed)
The Moose has vamoosed. Mike Mussina told the Yankees today that he will retire rather than return for the 2009 season. It’s not a shocker, the pitcher had been openly contemplating hanging up the spikes since the season ended, but it will impact the way the Yankees handle their offseason moves.

Mussina is the rare athlete who walks away while still having a lot to offer the game. He had his first 20 win season in 2008, rebounding from a miserable 2007 by altering his pitching style to one based on beguiling hitters instead of blowing them away. He’s the first pitcher since Sandy Koufax to walk away from baseball after winning 20 games.

And, while he may not have Koufax’s credentials, he may be joining the lefty in Cooperstown someday. He finishes his career with a 270-153 record and a 3.68 ERA. Mussina is 19th all-time in strikeouts and 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s also one of only 21 pitchers in history that is more than 100 games over .500. 16 of the others are in the Hall and the other four — Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine — are certainly deserving of enshrinement. He fell short of 300 wins, though, and falls behind those four and some other contemporaries in the baseball firmament.Continue Reading