In October 2004, Curt Schilling pitched with a surgically sutured ankle as his white sock visibly soaked with blood, an image burned into baseball memory. This deep dive examines one of the sport’s most complicated dual legacies: a gritty, championship-winning ace whose off-field conduct ultimately kept him out of the Hall of Fame.

From a disciplined military upbringing to co-MVP honors in the 2001 World Series and heroics that helped break Boston’s 86-year curse, Schilling’s uncompromising nature fueled both his greatness and his self-sabotage in business, broadcasting, and politics.

• Found his footing in Philadelphia, which handed him a permanent starting role in 1992
• Underwent an unprecedented procedure suturing skin to tissue to pitch on a torn ankle tendon
• Retired with 216 wins, 3,116 strikeouts, and an 11-2 postseason record
• Saw his video game studio, 38 Studios, collapse after a $75 million Rhode Island loan
• Climbed above 70 percent in Hall of Fame voting before writers pulled back their support