As a Pennsylvania high school senior, Mike Mussina reportedly missed exam questions on purpose to finish second in his class and avoid giving the valedictorian speech. That calculating mind defined a career built on intellect over dominance. He turned down Joe Paterno, Vanderbilt, and the Orioles to attend Stanford and study economics, treating his arm like a finite bank account to be managed.

Mussina flirted with perfection repeatedly, including retiring 26 straight Red Sox in 2001 before a bloop single, and made his first career relief appearance in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. When his fastball faded, he re-engineered his approach around a two-seamer and a disguised changeup.

• Struck out an ALCS-record 25 batters over 15 innings in 1997 with two no-decisions
• Won 20 games for the first time in 2008 at age 39, the oldest first-time 20-game winner
• Retired immediately after that season, the first to do so since Sandy Koufax in 1966
• Won more than 10 games in 17 consecutive seasons, an American League record
• Entered the Hall of Fame in 2019 with a blank cap, refusing to choose a team