BLUE 1,026 Posted May 18, 2012 (edited) It kinda sucks what the injuries did to derail Wood's and Mark Prior's careers. By Ben Nicholson-Smith [May 18 at 8:58am CST] Kerry Wood will retire today, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports (on Twitter). The 34-year-old right-hander is calling it a career after 14 seasons in the Major Leagues. Wood signed a one-year, $3MM contract with the Cubs this offseason, but struggled through nine appearances, allowing nearly one earned run per inning with twice as many walks (11) as strikeouts (5). Wood's contract included a $3MM club option for 2013 which will no longer be in play for GM Jed Hoyer. Wood debuted with the 1998 Cubs and it didn't take long for him to make an impression. He struck out 233 hitters in 166 2/3 innings as a rookie, including a record 20 strikeouts in one game against the Astros. Wood missed his sophomore season to undergo Tommy John surgery, but he returned to the rotation in 2000 and started effectively for five seasons. He had trouble staying healthy, so he transitioned to the bullpen, where he pitched exclusively from 2007-12. The two-time All-Star will retire with a 3.67 ERA, and 86-75 record, 1379 2/3 innings pitched and 1581 strikeouts. Wood, the fourth overall selection in 1995, earned more than $70MM in his career, according to Baseball-Reference. He is a client of SFX. Source: MLBTradeRumors.com Edited May 18, 2012 by BLUE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eefluxx 113 Posted May 18, 2012 (edited) It kinda sucks what the injuries did to derail Wood's and Mark Prior's careers. Source: MLBTradeRumors.com yeh, I remember when McGwire was going for the homerun record the first time he faced Wood he threw two fastballs him then got him on a curveball that made McGwires knees buckle. Edited May 18, 2012 by Eefluxx Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JetsFan4Life 542 Posted May 18, 2012 Always going to be remember as someone who could've been but at least he did some amazing things in his healthy seasons. 20 strikeouts in a game will always be insane to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos 2,847 Posted May 18, 2012 Wow. That was fourteen years ago that I watched him throw 20 strikeouts as a rookie? Holy crap. I cannot believe that's gone by that fast. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bay 2,003 Posted May 18, 2012 (edited) BayAreaBomber :(18 May 2012 - 04:35 PM) Kerry Wood got a nice cheer from the crowd. Kerry Wood was fun to watch back in the day. Peace Kerry. Edited May 18, 2012 by BayAreaBomber Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WindyCitySports 407 Posted May 19, 2012 Cried watching him throw his last K and seeing the ovation from the crowd and him hug his son. I couldn't miss it. He was a childhood hero of mine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BLUE 1,026 Posted May 19, 2012 (edited) Highlights from Kerry Wood's most impressive pitching performance, and one of the greatest ever, especially when you consider that the team that he shut down, the Houston Astros, had one of the best offenses in the MLB that season: I was about a year younger than Wood when he struck out 20 Astros' hitters while only giving up a single infield hit. Crazy ... And an article about the game: ESPN.com Edited May 19, 2012 by BLUE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vin+ 3,121 Posted May 19, 2012 Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN ELIAS:Kerry Wood one of 3 pitchers in history with at least 1,000 IP and a career rate of 10 or more Ks per 9(Randy Johnson,Pedro Martinez). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted May 21, 2012 Man, that game was insane... Wood was an insane talent. Too bad he was handled poorly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
