Give Moose A Break
In one of the columns dissecting what went wrong with the Yankees in the ALCS, Mike Mussina was once again lumped in with the various recent acquisitions who haven't had the same level of success as legends of the 1996-2000 team. Every year since 2001, he's been branded as one of George Steinbrenner's recruits who don't have the same championship mettle as players who preceded him.
The reality is that Mussina has pitched some huge games for the Yankees and has positioned them to win again and again. He pitched a 1-0 masterpiece against Oakland when the Yankees were down 2-0 in the 2001 ALDS. The Yankees don't win game seven of last year's ALCS without his Rivera-like outing in relief of Clemens. He beat Pedro Martinez in back-to-back starts to help the Yankees win the division this year. He held his own against Johan Santana in game one of the ALDS and had two stellar outings against the Red Sox in the ALCS. He left game five on the long end of a 4-2 Yankee lead and would have merited MVP consideration if the Yankees had held on to win the game.
Ideally, Mussina wouldn't be the Yankees number one pitcher, but he has more than earned his spot as the team ace.