Kerry Wood

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Kerry Wood
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)
Wins-Losses     71 - 56
ERA     3.68
Strikeouts     1299
Former teams

    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 Irving 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]

    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.

    Contents

    [edit] Professional career

    Wood was drafted by the Cubs in the first round (4th overall) of the 1995 Amateur Draft.

    [edit] 1998: Rookie Sensation

    A much-hyped prospect in the minor leagues, Wood made his MLB debut on April 12, 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, tying the record for strikeouts in a 9-inning game.

    Wood finished the 1998 season with a 13-6 record, and despite missing the last month of the season with elbow soreness, easily won the National League Rookie of the Year award. Wood pitched one game in the playoffs against the Atlanta Braves, but suffered the loss. That would be his last appearance in a Cubs uniform for more than a year.

    [edit] 1999-2003

    During Spring Training of 1999, Wood underwent Tommy John surgery to repair damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He missed the entire season to rehab from the surgery.

    Wood returned in 2000 and struggled to an 8-7 record, but the following season, he returned to form. In 2001, Wood began a string of three straight seasons in which he began to once again show the promise he displayed as the young phenom just a few years earlier. He went 12-6 with a 3.36 ERA. The following season (2002), Wood finished 12-11 with a 3.67 ERA, but perhaps more important was the fact he didn't miss a start all year long, setting career highs with 213.6 innings pitched and 33 starts. In both seasons, he struck out 217.

    In 2003, Wood continued to improve, setting career highs with 266 strikeouts, 14 wins (as part of a 14-11 record), a 3.20 ERA, and 2 shutouts. He also walked 100 batters and surrendered 24 homeruns, also career highs, but was selected as an National League All-Star and helped lead the Cubs to the playoffs.

    Wood 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. However, Wood was charged with the loss and the Cubs were eliminated.

    [edit] 2004-2007

    Based on their promising 2003 performance and off-season moves, Kerry Wood and the Cubs were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the 2004 Season baseball preview issue and were predicted to win the World Series. Perhaps another example of the so-called "SI Jinx," Wood went just 8-9 during the season and was sidelined for nearly two months with a strained triceps. Meanwhile, the Cubs led the Wild Card race by two games with a week to go in the season. However, they lost seven of their last nine games - including two losses by Wood - to finish 89-73, two games behind Houston, and out of the playoffs.

    Wood later soon find himself associated with some locker room controversy. During the final game of the 2004 season, star right-fielder Sammy Sosa departed Wrigley Field 15 minutes into the game. 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) but both players have denied the allegation.[citation needed]

    In 2005, the Cubs - and Wood - continued to struggle. On August 31, 2005, Wood underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery. During Spring Training the following year, Wood suffered another setback which required an additional surgery on his knee. Finally, on May 18, 2006, Wood returned to the Cubs' rotation when he pitched in a game at home against the Washington Nationals. He took the loss, giving up four runs and three home runs while striking out six in five innings. In June, Wood returned to the [disabled list|DL] with a sore shoulder. The following month, the Cubs announced that Wood had sustained a partially torn rotator cuff which was likely to keep him from pitching again for the rest of the year. At the end of the 2006 season, the Cubs exercized their option on Wood's contract and bought out the remaining $13M.

    [edit] 2007

    With his long history of injuries and inability to stay in the starting rotation, Wood accepted the Cubs offer to join their bullpen in 2007, signing an incentive laden one-year contract for $1.75 million. Wood has attempted to sustain a regular throwing schedule and appearances during Spring Training games. However, recurring soreness in his surgically-repaired right shoulder may force Wood back onto the disabled list. [1]

    [edit] MLB records

    • Fastest to reach 1000 strikeouts in MLB history (in appearances): 134 games
    • Fastest to reach 1000 strikeouts in MLB history (in innings pitched): 853 IP
    • Strikeouts in a 9-inning game: 20 on May 6, 1998 (tied record held by Roger Clemens)

    [edit] Personal life

    Wood is married to the former Sarah Pates of Waukegan, Illinois. After FOX 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] References

    1. ^ http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player_career.jsp?player_id=134268

    [edit] External links

    Preceded by
    Scott Rolen    		 National League Rookie of the Year
    1998    		 Succeeded by
    Scott Williamson
    Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../k/e/r/Kerry_Wood_88d4.html"
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