Jeff Musselman overcame much in 5 ML seasons, career
.jpg)
"They think I'm physically ready an that mentally I can handle it," Musselman told his hometown Asbury Park Press then. "That's the reason they called me up."
Musselman went on to a career that saw time in five major league seasons. But his career also saw him those two very issues, mental issues in the form of alcohol abuse, and physical, heart attacks that he survived, but ultimately ended his career.
Musselman's career began in 1985, taken by the Blue Jays in the sixth round of the draft out of Harvard University.
Musselman started with the Blue Jays at rookie Medicine Hat. He moved to single-A Ventura County and AA Knoxville for 1986. He saw 26 outings, 24 starts at Ventura County and 7 starts at Knoxville. He then made Toronto.
Musselman got into six games in relief for the Blue Jays down the stretch. He then made Toronto for all of 1987. He saw 68 outings, one start, and went 12-5, with a 4.15 ERA.
He then underwent arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder, making it back for 15 starts with the Blue Jays in 1988.
"It was lonely, and (it seemed like) a long time down there," Musselman told The Toronto Globe and Mail upon his return that July after time in the minors. "Three was a lot of patience involved, even in Syracuse, because at first here's a lot of days where your arm doesn't feel good."
The next season he came back from alcohol abuse, checking in to a Toronto hospital to undergo four weeks of treatment. He told The Syracuse Post-Standard that June he responded to the pressures of the majors by drinking.
"A lot of people lose a lot more before you go into a treatment center. It was something I had to do. It wasn't easy," Musselman told The Post-Standard, saying he hadn't drank in three months. "I feel like a very new person, and not have to worry about saying something to fit in with who I think I am. I see myself as belonging. It's a new confidence."
Musselman saw five outings with the Blue Jays that year then, after a trade, 20 with the Mets. He went 3-2, with a 3.08 ERA with the Mets.
For 1990, Musselman saw 28 outings in Queens and 10 starts at AAA Tidewater. Those major league outings were his last.
But he tried to get back, playing 1991 and 1992 with the Athletics at AAA Tacoma. In August 1992, with Tacoma, Musselman's heart attacks hit at the age of 29. Those effectively ended his career.
"Everyday, I get the itch to throw," Musselman told The Harvard Crimson then of his heart attacks. "I have some great friends who just won the World Series, but I just had to retire."
He was then working in sports contract negotiation, and in counseling athletes with alcohol problems, The Crimson wrote.
- Asbury Park Press, Sept. 2, 1986: Jays summon Jeff Musselman
- Toronto Globe and Mail, July 19, 1988: Jays' Musselman makes new start
- Syracuse Post-Standard, June 9, 1989: Musselman Looks to Regain Form
- Harvard Crimson, Nov. 2, 1993: Come back to Life, Sobriety and the College
Made the Majors:1,478-31.8%-X
Never Made Majors:3,173-68.2%