Kerry Wood
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| Chicago Cubs — No. 34 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
|---|---|
| April 12, 1998 for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
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| Wins-Losses | 71 - 56 |
| ERA | 3.68 |
| Strikeouts | 1299 |
| Teams | |
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Kerry Lee Wood (born June 16, 1977 in Irving, Texas) is an American baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he plays for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball and is currently under contract with the Cubs for the 2007 season.
Wood became a high school phenom while attending Mac Arthur High School in Irving, Texas, for his first three seasons of high school baseball. He continued his domination of batters at Grand Prairie High School in his final season as a high school player.[1] He was drafted by the Cubs in the first round (4th overall) of the 1995 Amateur Draft. Wood has a dominating selection of pitches, and recorded over two hundred strikeouts in four different seasons between 1998-2003. In recent years, he has had serious arm injuries, and has only started a total of 14 games in 2005-2006.
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[edit] Rookie Sensation
A much-hyped prospect in the minor leagues, Wood made his MLB debut in 1998. He wasted no time showing the world his talent when in only his fifth career start on May 6, 1998 he hurled a one-hit 20-strikeout shutout against the Houston Astros (falling one short of the Major League record for single game strikeouts[1]). The only base hit was a single by Astros shortstop Ricky Gutierrez. Wood also hit Craig Biggio with a pitch and balked once.
Wood finished the 1998 season with a 13-6 record, and despite missing the last month of the season with elbow soreness, he easily won the National League Rookie of the Year award. Wood did return to pitch one game in the playoffs that year against the Atlanta Braves, but suffered the loss. That would be his last appearance in a Cubs uniform for more than a year. In spring training of 1999, Wood underwent Tommy John surgery to repair damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Returning in 2000, Wood struggled to an 8-7 record before returning to form in 2001. Since then Wood has matured, being selected as an all-star in 2003.
Known for his upper-90s fastball that reaches 100 once in a while and his ability to get strikeouts, he teamed with fellow righthander Mark Prior to form a 1-2 punch that led the Cubs to the 2003 National League Championship Series, which they lost in seven games to the eventual World Series champion Florida Marlins. In the decisive Game 7, Wood hit the first home run by a pitcher in a NLCS game since another Cub, Rick Sutcliffe, did so in Game 1 in 1984, but he was charged with the loss.
[edit] 2004-2006 Seasons
The 2004 season was a trying one for Wood and the Cubs. Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the baseball preview issue (in an example of the so-called "SI Jinx," the accompanying text predicted the Cubs would win the World Series), Wood went just 8-9, and was sidelined for nearly two months with a strained triceps. Critics would harp on the fact that Wood never has won more than 14 games in a season.
The Cubs led the Wild Card race by two games with a week to go in the season, when the wheels came off on their season. The Cubs lost seven of their last nine games to finish 89-73, two games behind Houston.
Wood lost two of those games, including a 3-2 loss to New York on September 26. Wood allowed three runs in the first inning before settling down for the next six innings. He also lost an Oct. 1 decision to Atlanta 5-4, as light-hitting Dewayne Wise and opposing starting pitcher Mike Hampton each hit two-run homers off of him. That loss pushed the Cubs to the brink of elimination.
Wood was also associated with some locker room controversy two days later when star right-fielder Sammy Sosa departed Wrigley Field 15 minutes into the Cubs' season finale. Several Cubs teammates were angry with Sosa for quitting on his teammates, and an unidentified teammate destroyed the star's stereo with a baseball bat. Speculation immediately centered on the hot-tempered Wood, as well as second-baseman Todd Walker. Both players have denied the allegation.
Due to Wood's late injuries and the Cubs' struggles in 2005, on August 31 Wood underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery performed by Dr. Timothy Kremcheck. After a setback during the spring, which required an additional surgery on his knee, Wood returned to the Cubs' rotation on May 18, 2006 when he pitched in a game at home against the Washington Nationals. He received the loss, giving up four runs, including three home runs, and striking out six in five innings. In June, Wood returned to the DL with a sore shoulder. On July 8, the Cubs announced that Wood had sustained a partially torn rotator cuff which was likely to keep him from pitching again for the remainder of the season. Wood's contract expired at the end of the 2006 season, and he and the Cubs agreed to a one-year contract for 2007. It is expected that he will be starting the 2007 season from the bullpen rather than in the Cubs starting rotation.
Wood is married to the former Sarah Pates of Waukegan, Illinois. After the Fox network took to showing her reactions in the crowd during playoff games Kerry was starting, he asked that the shots of her in live telecasts be reduced.
[edit] Notes
Signed one-year contract with the Cubs on November 12, 2006 for $1.75 million
[edit] External links
- [2] Kerry Wood's career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
- [3] The Baseball Cube - Major and Minor League Statistics
- [4] ESPN.com: Kerry Wood
- [5] Chicago Cubs official page on Wood's career
| Preceded by: Scott Rolen |
National League Rookie of the Year 1998 |
Succeeded by: Scott Williamson |
