On Tuesday, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced their 2019 Hall of Fame voting results. Four players were elected, including right-handed starters Mike Mussina and Roy Halladay. An important question has surfaced thereafter: Which hat will each's plaque bear -- the New York Yankees or the Baltimore Orioles for Mussina; the Toronto Blue Jays or the Philadelphia Phillies for Halladay?
Mussina offered a standard, noncommittal response when asked for his preference on Tuesday, and still appeared undecided on Wednesday:
MLB Network's Tom Verducci asked Mussina about which hat in Cooperstown: (Os for 10; Yanks for 8). Here's his quote: "I played for both organizations, I’m proud to have played for both organizations. But there’s no way I could pick one over the other."
— Dan Connolly (@danconnolly2016) January 23, 2019
Mike Mussina says there has been no decision yet as to whether he'll wear an #Orioles or #Yankees cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.
— Joe Trezza (@JoeTrezz) January 23, 2019
Not that anyone asked us, but if Mussina did we'd tell him to rock the Orioles cap.
Mussina spent the majority of his 18-year career with the Orioles, pitching in parts of 10 seasons and making 39 more appearances with the O's than he did in eight seasons with the Yankees. He also performed better with the Orioles, if you're going off ERA+ (130 versus 114) or WAR (47.8 versus 35.2). Sure, he pitched in more postseason games with the Yankees -- and enjoyed his sole 20-win season as part of New York's rotation -- but that's not enough for us. Of course, that doesn't mean Mussina and the Hall will see things the same way.
Halladay, meanwhile, will have neither team of his two MLB teams on his Hall of Fame hat. Brandy Halladay announced Wednesday her late husband's plaque will feature a blank cap -- a means of honoring both the Jays and Phillies:
Brandy Halladay said Roy will not have a Blue Jays or a Phillies logo on his cap for his Hall of Fame plaque. She said it was an easy decision because both teams meant so much to him. Admirable strength and poise as she and their sons met with the media.
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) January 23, 2019
Halladay spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Blue Jays before wrapping up his career with four seasons in Philadelphia. He didn't win a ring with the Phillies, but did throw a postseason no-hitter and clearly the time in Philly meant a great deal to him.
As for the other inductees, both Edgar Martinez (Seattle Mariners) and Mariano Rivera (Yankees) played with just one franchise, making their cap decisions a lot easier.
