Curt Schilling announced his retirement on Monday the only way he knew how – on his blog.

The 42-year-old right-hander said on his blog he’s leaving after 23 years with “zero regrets.” Schilling missed all of last season with a shoulder injury after signing a one-year, $8 million contract.

“The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime,” he wrote.

Schilling had surgery last June and had said he might come back in the middle of this season. He was not under contract for this season. He made no reference to his injury on his blog, 38pitches.com.
Schilling won a World Series with Arizona in 2001 and with Boston in 2004 and 2007.

So, I guess I’ll throw out the obligatory, “does he belong in the Hall of Fame?” question.

And the answer is definitely “yes.” He finished with a 216-146 overall record, helped his club win three World Series titles and had 3,116 strikeouts, which is the 14th most in baseball history. The guy was a pain in the ass when it came to giving his opinions and raised some eyebrows with his bloody sock moment. But Schilling was one of the better pitchers of his time and deserves Hall of Fame nomination.