No one thought it would end like this. 0-2, an 8.69 ERA, and the Chicago Cubs languishing at 15-24, a record good enough to land them in the cellar. We thought his career would end with a ring, a Cy Young award or two, perhaps an MVP award. Not like this.
When we were introduced to Kerry Wood in May of 1998, we didn't think it would start like this, either. The Cubs had never had a Rookie of the Year winner as a pitcher, despite notching three ROYs in team history at this point (Billy Williams-OF-1961, Ken Hubbs-2B-1962, Jerome Walton-OF-1989). When Kerry Wood took the bump on 5/6/98, he was nursing a 2-2 record with a 5.89 ERA and 25 strikeouts. His longest MLB outing to date had been seven innings, an 8-3 win over the rival St. Louis Cardinals. Coming into that May game, the Cubs were facing the first place Houston Astros. We weren't expecting much.
Two hours and nineteen minutes later, Kerry Wood had one-hit the first-place Astros, adding twenty strikeouts en route to a 2-0 win. To date, Wood is the only rookie to ever strike out twenty batters in a game. The Astros managed only two baserunners: Ricky Gutierrez with a single, and Craig Biggio with an HBP. To date, Wood is only one of four pitchers with at least 20 strikeouts in one game. Roger Clemens did it twice, Randy Johnson did it once, and Tom Cheney managed a 21-strikeout game in 1962. By the time Wood's rookie season was done, he had won the ROY after a 13-6 record, 233 strikeouts, 3.40 ERA and a K/9 innings pitched ratio of 12.6--best in baseball. We had no idea it would start like this.
In his first five full seasons (he missed the '99 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery) he averaged 213 strikeouts per season and a 12-8 record. He drew more than twice as many strikeouts than walks, threw five shutouts, and averaged ten strikeouts per nine innings of play, including a staggering 266 strikeouts in the 2003 season.
After that magic season, however, something went wrong. Some blame it on Dusty Baker for over-pitching the kid and wearing down his arm. Some blame the Bartman Curse, calling his downturn a byproduct of that fateful foul ball in the 2003 NLCS. Others still just said it was bound to happen. A natural progression for a fastball pitcher who averaged more than 180 innings per season.
Whatever the reason, something was up. While his shift to the bullpen as a closer was by no means unsuccessful--62 saves in three seasons--these numbers dropped each season: 34, 20, 8. He found himself on the disabled list fourteen times in thirteen seasons, and was relegated to middle relief in his final two seasons in Chicago. We didn't think it would end like this.
But even this story had a happy ending, because the baseball gods watch every pitch. When we received the shocking news before the game on 5-18-12 that it would be Wood's final game, the attitude was shock, sadness, confusion, perhaps even anger. Like this? Now? Not like this. No. No. But damn it, this was Kerry Wood. This was the man whose initials spelled K-W: Strikeout Win. When Strikeout Win retired, he did it on his own terms: an eighth inning swinging strikeout on an offspeed pitch to the White Sox' Dayan Viciedo.
Then, with a paying crowd of 34,937 on their feet, jubilant, grieving, worshiping: Kerry reminded us this has always been a child's game. He raised his cap to the fans, took a step towards the dugout, and hugged his six-year-old son Justin. We always knew it would end like this.
There will always be baseball. Suns will rise, moons will fall, and the Cubs will always be that team of highest infamy. It is this writer's belief, however, that we will never see another Kerry Lee Wood. A legend walked off the field today, exited those doors at 1060 West Addison for the final time as a player, and left a legacy that will forever be unmatched. Thank you, Kerry. From all of us, forever.
When we were introduced to Kerry Wood in May of 1998, we didn't think it would start like this, either. The Cubs had never had a Rookie of the Year winner as a pitcher, despite notching three ROYs in team history at this point (Billy Williams-OF-1961, Ken Hubbs-2B-1962, Jerome Walton-OF-1989). When Kerry Wood took the bump on 5/6/98, he was nursing a 2-2 record with a 5.89 ERA and 25 strikeouts. His longest MLB outing to date had been seven innings, an 8-3 win over the rival St. Louis Cardinals. Coming into that May game, the Cubs were facing the first place Houston Astros. We weren't expecting much.
Two hours and nineteen minutes later, Kerry Wood had one-hit the first-place Astros, adding twenty strikeouts en route to a 2-0 win. To date, Wood is the only rookie to ever strike out twenty batters in a game. The Astros managed only two baserunners: Ricky Gutierrez with a single, and Craig Biggio with an HBP. To date, Wood is only one of four pitchers with at least 20 strikeouts in one game. Roger Clemens did it twice, Randy Johnson did it once, and Tom Cheney managed a 21-strikeout game in 1962. By the time Wood's rookie season was done, he had won the ROY after a 13-6 record, 233 strikeouts, 3.40 ERA and a K/9 innings pitched ratio of 12.6--best in baseball. We had no idea it would start like this.
In his first five full seasons (he missed the '99 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery) he averaged 213 strikeouts per season and a 12-8 record. He drew more than twice as many strikeouts than walks, threw five shutouts, and averaged ten strikeouts per nine innings of play, including a staggering 266 strikeouts in the 2003 season.
After that magic season, however, something went wrong. Some blame it on Dusty Baker for over-pitching the kid and wearing down his arm. Some blame the Bartman Curse, calling his downturn a byproduct of that fateful foul ball in the 2003 NLCS. Others still just said it was bound to happen. A natural progression for a fastball pitcher who averaged more than 180 innings per season.
Whatever the reason, something was up. While his shift to the bullpen as a closer was by no means unsuccessful--62 saves in three seasons--these numbers dropped each season: 34, 20, 8. He found himself on the disabled list fourteen times in thirteen seasons, and was relegated to middle relief in his final two seasons in Chicago. We didn't think it would end like this.
But even this story had a happy ending, because the baseball gods watch every pitch. When we received the shocking news before the game on 5-18-12 that it would be Wood's final game, the attitude was shock, sadness, confusion, perhaps even anger. Like this? Now? Not like this. No. No. But damn it, this was Kerry Wood. This was the man whose initials spelled K-W: Strikeout Win. When Strikeout Win retired, he did it on his own terms: an eighth inning swinging strikeout on an offspeed pitch to the White Sox' Dayan Viciedo.
Then, with a paying crowd of 34,937 on their feet, jubilant, grieving, worshiping: Kerry reminded us this has always been a child's game. He raised his cap to the fans, took a step towards the dugout, and hugged his six-year-old son Justin. We always knew it would end like this.
There will always be baseball. Suns will rise, moons will fall, and the Cubs will always be that team of highest infamy. It is this writer's belief, however, that we will never see another Kerry Lee Wood. A legend walked off the field today, exited those doors at 1060 West Addison for the final time as a player, and left a legacy that will forever be unmatched. Thank you, Kerry. From all of us, forever.
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| Photo Courtesy: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images |
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