David Cone
| Birthdate | 1/2/1963 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1985 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Blue Jays, Mets, Red Sox, Royals, Yankees |
| Positions | Announcer, Pitcher |
Five-time World Series champion David Cone finished in the top-4 in Cy Young voting in seasons with the Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees and the Royals for whom he won it.
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David Cone's pitching resumé is worthy of Cooperstown consdieration
David Cone's pitching resumé is worthy of Cooperstown consdieration
When David Cone appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2009 he received just 3.9% of the vote. Despite the one-and-done showing, many see him as a shoo-in candidate for the Veterans Committee.
For the 12-year period from 1988-1999, few pitchers were better.
In his dozen-year run of dominance he had 175 wins, 2,331 strikeouts, 22 shutouts and 55 complete games. Cone also posted two 20-win seasons and a pair of campaigns in which he led all big league pitchers in strikeouts. His 59.8 WAR from ’88 to ’99 was surpassed only by Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux. Only Clemens and Randy Johnson fanned more batters.
A five-time All Star, Cone earned the Cy Young Award in 1994. In that strike-shortened year he went 16-5 with a 2.95 ERA for a Royals team that won 64 games. Cone’s 6.9 WAR in the abbreviated season was tops among AL pitchers.
The right-hander fared well in Cy Young balloting throughout his career. He finished third for the award in the Mets division-winning season of 1988. After earning the honor in ’94, Cone finished fourth the following season. In his final 20-win season in 1998 he also finished fourth. Cone then placed sixth in ’99.
His greatest single-game performance came in 1999. Before the July 18 contest, Cone’s Yankees held Yogi Berra Day with many dignitaries on hand. Don Larsen who threw the only perfect game in World Series history tossed the ceremonial first pitch. Cone rose to the occasion, twirling a perfecto of his own, the 16th in modern big league history.
Second the list of Cone’s greatest games is his 19-strikeout performance on the last day of the 1991 season. Pitching in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, Cone struck out 19 Phillies hitters. He allowed only three hits and walked one in the dominant 141-pitch outing.
Eight pitchers since 1900 have struck out 19 or more batters in a game. All but Kerry Wood and Max Scherzer, who’ll be a first ballot selection, are in the Hall of Fame.
His work in October adds to his Cooperstown case. With five World Series rings to his credit, Cone boasts an 8-3 postseason record. In five Fall Classic starts and one relief appearance Cone’s earned run average was a stingy 2.12.
Hall voters in 2009 valued traditional counting numbers most. Cone’s 194 career wins likely pushed away support. Today’s more sophisticated statistical analysis says he’s deserving of a plaque. His career 62.3 career WAR ranks ahead of the likes of Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, Rube Waddell, Three-Finger Brown, Whitey Ford, Sandy Koufax and many other Cooperstown men.
David Cone should someday gain baseball’s highest honor.
Shown here is a 1987 Topps Traded series baseball card of David Cone, the first Topps card on which Cone appeared. The pitcher has signed it boldly.
Perfect game pitcher Don Larsen threw the ceremonial first pitch before Cone's gem
Perfect game pitcher Don Larsen threw the ceremonial first pitch before Cone's gem
The Yankees honored their greatest catcher on Yogi Berra Day on July 18, 1999. As part of the pregame festivities, Don Larsen of perfect game fame in the 1956 World Series threw the ceremonial first pitch to Berra who caught his gem. The fans roared in appreciation.
Soon after, David Cone took the mound against the Montreal Expos. He treated Larsen, Berra, and the 41,390 fans on hand to baseball’s 16th perfect game. The game in its entirety can be seen by clicking here.
Shown above is a 1959 Topps card titled “Words of Wisdom”. It features Yankee skipper Casey Stengel along with Larsen whose signature is authenticated by PSA.
A little over a year before Cone's perfect game, fellow Yankee David Wells tossed one of his own
A little over a year before Cone's perfect game, fellow Yankee David Wells tossed one of his own
On May 17th, 1998 David Cone watched from the Yankee dugout as teammate David Wells threw baseball’s 15th perfect game against the Minnesota Twins. The following season Cone duplicated Wells’ performance at the same venue. The right-hander’s performance made the New York franchise the first to boast three perfect game pitchers.
Cone’s pefecto came in front of Don Larsen, the first Yankee pitcher to retire 27 batters in a row. Larsen and Wells both pitched for Point Loma High School in San Diego, albeit 42 years apart. After retirement, Wells became the school’s head baseball coach.
Shown here is the ticket to Wells’ masterpiece. The 239-game winner’s PSA-certified autograph adorns it.
In 2001 Mike Mussina was one strike away from a perfect game & saddled Cone with the loss
In 2001 Mike Mussina was one strike away from a perfect game & saddled Cone with the loss
Mike Mussina delivered the greatest performance of his career on September 2, 2001, at Fenway Park. Pitching for the Yankees, he squared off against David Cone and the rival Boston Red Sox. Mussina was in command the whole way.
Moose retired the first twenty-six batters he faced, mowing through the Boston lineup with surgical efficiency. Meanwhile Cone quieted the Yankee lineup, holding New York to one run on six hits in 8 1/3 innings of work.
When Mussina came out for the 9th, fans held their breath as he stood one out from perfection. Pinch-hitter Carl Everett stepped to the plate with two outs in the ninth. Mussina quickly jumped ahead with a one-and-two count.
One strike separated him from baseball immortality. Everett then blooped a soft single into left-center field, just beyond the reach of second baseman Chuck Knoblauch. Fenway exhaled, and Mussina’s perfect game vanished. The Yankee hurler retired the next batter and settled for a one-hit shutout. Cone took the hard-luck defeat in the 1-0 loss.
Shown here is a ticket to the Mussina-Cone pitchers’ duel signed. Mussina signed the ticket, adding the inscription “HOF 19”.
