He Did It Again...

As I type this, Curt Schilling is talking to FOX on-field correspondent Ken Rosenthal about his start tonight and Daisuke "Dice-K" Matsuzaka's chances of putting the Red Sox in the World Series tomorrow evening. In his performance against the Indians tonight, Schilling sealed his legacy of being the "go to" guy in postseason elimination situations, giving the Boston club seven innings of two-run baseball. Schilling also struck out five Tribe hitters. No, it wasn't his most impressive outing, but it was a good one.

It has been stated over and over again that Curt Schilling isn't the same pitcher that dominated National League hitters in 1993 or 2001. Nor is he the same pitcher who took the hill at Yankee Stadium for game six of the 2004 ALCS. That Curt Schilling simply doesn't exist anymore. The one who does will suffice for Red Sox fans, especially if they win tomorrow night and go on to play Colorado in the World Series.

Whether or not you believe that players have an intrinsic ability to perform in the clutch, and while I don't discount it completely I do strongly believe that it doesn't exist, these are the games that Curt Schilling will be remembered for and rightfully so. If you asked him what he wanted to be remembered for, it wouldn't be his regular season accomplishments. Though I'm sure he's proud of those as well. He wants to be remembered as the king of elimination. The guy with the bloody sock. The guy who, after losing his stuff, redefined himself as a finesse pitcher and carried his team to live another day.

Tipping his cap to the Red Sox faithful after his seventh and final inning, Schilling joined former Yankee left-hander Whitey Ford as the only man to have three stellar playoff elimination game starts. Adding that accomplishment to an already impressive postseason and regular season résumé the Red Sox right-hander increased his chances of becoming a Hall-of-Famer tenfold, if he wasn't already a shoo-in. It might sound hyperbolic to base a baseball player's career on a small sampling of games, but that's the way the voters vote, intelligent or not.

The Red Sox won the penultimate game 12-2.

Game 7 takes place tomorrow night and will see Jake Westbrook starting for the Indians and Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Red Sox. Westbrook was the winner of game three and Dice-K the loser. First pitch is at 8:21 PM.