The question echoing in New York regarding Mike Mussina is not about his Hall of Fame status, but about the one honor still missing from his Yankee legacy: the retirement of his number 35.
Mike Mussina was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019, eight years ago, yet his number remains in circulation—the clearest indication that the Yankees have yet to bestow this ultimate franchise honor.
The Question: Why the Delay?
The Yankees have retired more numbers than any other Major League team (22 numbers for 23 people), but the team’s criteria for a pitcher who split his career often relies heavily on postseason championships or a unanimous sense of legacy.
Here are the key factors contributing to the delay, despite his Hall of Fame induction:
- Shared Legacy: Mussina split his career almost perfectly between the Baltimore Orioles (10 seasons) and the New York Yankees (8 seasons). When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he chose not to wear a logo on his plaque, stating: “I don’t feel like I can pick one team over the other because they were both great to me.” This decision, while fair to both organizations, reduces the singular claim the Yankees have on his legacy.
- The World Series Hurdle: While Mussina was a key part of the Yankees teams that went to the World Series (2001, 2003), he never won a championship ring with the team. Historically, the Yankees have prioritized players who delivered multiple championships (e.g., Jeter, Posada, Williams, Pettitte, Rivera) for Monument Park recognition.
- A “Different” Kind of Yankee: Mussina’s consistency, intelligence, and crafty pitching style often put him behind the more dominant, high-peak contemporaries (like Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and David Wells) in the rotation. While his overall value (82.8 career WAR) is higher than many retired numbers, he didn’t fit the traditional profile of an overwhelming, championship-era Yankee icon.
Mussina’s Yankees Legacy
Despite the missing honor, Mussina’s contributions were immense:
- Yankee Tenure: 2001–2008 (8 seasons)
- Record in Pinstripes: 123–72 (.631 W-L%), a key anchor for seven playoff teams.
- Career Capstone: He famously won 20 games for the first and only time in his career in his final season (2008) at the age of 39, becoming the oldest first-time 20-game winner in history—a rare feat that cemented his Hall of Fame case.
The Yankees have made no official announcement regarding a number retirement ceremony for Mussina. The question of when, or if, the Yankees will add number 35 to the exclusive ring above Monument Park continues to be the most persistent missing piece of his career.
