What a year 1988 was for Orel Hershiser. He didn’t just win the Cy Young that year, getting better to the point of being unstoppable as the season wound down. He broke Don Drysdale’s consecutive scoreless innings record to end the regular season, then went on to win three games in the postseason (including one save) and propelled the Dodgers to a World Series win, and won the World Series MVP in the process. What a year!
Hershiser did not duplicate that year (who could), but he suffered a severe shoulder injury that threatened his career. Hershiser did come back and was an effective pitcher, but he never again dominated or reached All-Star levels. Still, with a career of 200 wins and 2,000 strikeouts, he had a record that was envied by most.
The issue for the Hall is that Hershiser was considered the best Starting Pitcher in baseball for a two-and-a-half-year period and a solid number two or three man after his shoulder surgery. If Hershiser was a dominant ace for a longer period of time, his 1988 season would have helped make him a serious contender for the Hall.
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