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Curt Schilling, who announced his retirement in his blog, may not have had Hall of Fame statistics, but take a look at his big-game stats.

Four Memorable Schilling wins

• Oct. 19, 2004, Red Sox 4, Yankees 2: Pitching with a torn tendon sheath in his ankle and blood leaking into sock, allows four hits and one run in seven innings as Boston forces seventh game in ALCS

• Oct. 24, 2004, Red Sox 6, Cardinals 2: Allows just four hits and one unearned run in six innings in Game 2 of World Series

• June 7, 2007, Red Sox 1, Athletics 0: Comes within one out of his only no-hitter before giving up a single to Shannon Stewart

• Oct. 25, 2007, Red Sox 2, Rockies 1: Allows four hits and one run in 5 1/3 innings in Game 2 of World Series, his final game

"It is with zero regrets that I am making my retirement official." – Curt Schilling

In uploading those words to his blog, Curt Schilling put an end to his baseball career Monday. There was no press conference, no tip of the cap on the mound, just a 433-word post in which he called it quits on a career that started when he was drafted in the second round by the Boston Red Sox back in 1986 and ended with a win in Game 2 of the 2007 World Series.

That final appearance, 5 1/3 innings delivered by an aging star with diminishing skills, serves as a terrific reminder of what made Schilling an ace.

He may not have had the best stuff with every start, but he always had the guts, the determination and the preparation to beat you – even more so when the stakes were higher.

Schilling already had a World Series ring when he arrived in Boston in November 2003. He went to the World Series with Philadelphia in 1993 and joined Randy Johnson as the game's best one-two pitching punch to lead Arizona to the 2001 championship.

Schilling didn't shy away from the taking on the famed "Curse of the Bambino," even doing a car commercial declaring he was heading to Boston to end an 86-year championship drought.

Once he arrived in Boston, he delivered. He won 21 games that season and won a game in each of the three postseason series in a playoff run dubbed "the greatest comeback in history." The bloody sock he wore in Game 6 of that year's American League Championship Series is in the Hall of Fame.

The question is: Should Schilling join his sock in Cooperstown?

At first glance, his numbers fall short. His 216 career wins are not quite enough, his 3.46 career ERA not quite low enough. But those numbers do not do justice to what he accomplished as a pitcher.

In baseball, we often throw postseason numbers out the window when comparing careers. In Schilling's case, the postseason is what puts him over the top. His 11-2 playoff record and 2.23 ERA make it clear he pitched his best when the stakes were highest. He pitched in 12 playoff series, and was on the winning team in 10 of them.

Schilling had three 20-win seasons and threw 200 or more innings in nine seasons. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was 4.38, second best in baseball history and best since 1900. These are all Hall of Fame numbers.

Schilling didn't help himself politically over the years; he angered many of the writers who will determine his fate. Detractors will point to the 216 wins and say he needed another 20 or so to get inducted.

That argument rings hollow. If Schilling hung on for another two or three years, winning 7-10 games each year, would that really make the difference? Had Jim Rice played three more years, hitting six home runs a year to get to 400 career homers, would he have earned his spot in the Hall that much earlier?

Schilling should not be penalized for knowing when to call it quits. He accomplished more than 98 percent of the men who have worn a big league uniform could ever hope to accomplish.

The final accomplishment will come when he is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in five years. He may not win election on his first ballot, but he ultimately deserves his plaque alongside the game's greatest.

Tom Caron is the studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on the New England Sports Network. His column appears in the Press Herald on Tuesdays.