Curt Schilling knows a thing or two about succeeding in a Red Sox uniform.
In four seasons in Boston, Schilling helped lead the Sox to two World Series championships and was named an All-Star in 2004, a season in which he led Major League Baseball in wins.
Schilling was able to accomplish all of this in Boston while maintaining his forthright attitude and unapologetic personality. The right-hander produced at a high level on the mound, which ultimately is what the team and fans care about most.
In a recent interview with WEEI’s Rob Bradford, Schilling explained that in the case of David Price — a polarizing athlete in his own right — pitching at a high level and taking yourself accountable will take care of everything else.
“I would say two things,” Schilling told Bradford. “One, on game day don’t allow a single thought in your head except what you want to do on the mound other than how you’re going to execute pitches. Then after the game make, sure everything that went wrong was your fault. That’s your job. All the guys you’re suiting up with, they know the truth. If you go out there and throw eight scoreless and you give up one and you lose, they know they didn’t come through for you. You don’t need to say it.
“And that goes with fans, as well. If you take responsibility and you’re accountable, fans don’t get pissed as long as you fix it. It’s very refreshing to for a guy to be accountable, but at some point, you have to start pitching really well.”
Price has been pitching well of late. The southpaw has allowed two runs or less in each of his last four starts and hasn’t suffered a loss since May 3. If Price can continue to rack up quality starts, especially into the postseason, Red Sox nation will sing his praises.
