pitcher | American League | baseball | Arizona | Boston

Schilling came out on the other side with impetus in 2006, compiling a 15–7 record (the sixth-best winning percentage in the American League) and blowing hitters away with 95 mph fastballs (resulting in the fifth-most strikeouts in the AL). But the return, according to Schilling, is not yet complete.

“I don’t feel like I pitched nearly as well as I should have consistently,” he says. “The injury is still going. It’s something I’ll deal with for the rest of my life. Getting to ’06 was a challenge, and the unfortunate part is I ran into a series of starts during the year where I didn’t match up with anybody who wasn’t a number one, and I came away with some games that I could have won but didn’t. We play in the hardest division in baseball. Every team can hit, so every start is a grind.”

For Schilling, life is a constant learning opportunity. From the success of two World Series championships (Arizona in 2001 and Boston in 2004) and a World Series MVP (2001) to the grueling rehab on his ankle, he finds lessons in every experience. So what’s left for the pitcher who’s accomplished what every big-league pitcher dreams of accomplishing? Another year as the ace of the Red Sox rotation in 2007, for starters, and at least another year of pitching in 2008. As for what lies beyond 2008 …

“It’s not something I’m thinking about right now,” Schilling says. “We’ll worry about that when it gets here.”