Kerry Wood Retires

by dbreer23 on May 19, 2025 1:38 AM EDT

OK, so he hasn't been a prospect in nearly 15 years, but it's worth noting that Kerry Wood ended his career today, fittingly enough, with a strikeout.

As a Cubs fan, I can personally say that he was equal parts awe-inspiring and utterly frustrating. When all is said and done, he showed explosive glimpses of the promise that made him a first-round pick in 1995, but fell short of the expectations for his overall career due to numerous health issues. That he lasted this long in the majors, to me, is a minor miracle given that he fought elbow injury early, and persistent shoulder issues thereafter. When he was right, his curveball was arguably the best of his era, and just as devastating as Randy Johnson's slider or Pedro Martinez's fastball.

The real reason I post this is to take notice of what he accomplished as a 20-year old rookie in 1998, turning in not only the best single-game rookie performance of all time, but also (in the opinion of many, and the Game Score method developed by Bill James) the best-pitched regular season game of all time. 20 K's, 1 H, 1 HBP, 0 BB, CG - 5th major league start. Simply stunning.

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Read More: Pedro Martinez (P - PHI), Kerry Wood (P - NYY), Randy Johnson (P - SFG), Chicago Cubs

Comments

Wood

He’ll always hold a special place in baseball for me. I lived in Chicago in the summer of ‘98, and after getting off work at the CBOT, would walk to Wrigley for games. We shared the same birthday (6/16/77), and it was a wild summer for the Cubbies, with Wood being a rookie and Sosa battling McGwire in the HR race. While injuries derailed his career, Wood was fun to watch, and I’ll never forget that summer.

by killa on May 19, 2025 7:44 AM EDT reply actions

lol, we may have met...

I moved to Chicago that same summer, and at the time had a good friend who also worked at CBOT. I’d take the Metra in from the burbs and meet him at a local watering hole right across the street from the main entrance of CBOT, have a couple of drinks, then hit the Wrigleyville area either for the game or just the local scene. That was a great summer.

by dbreer23 on May 19, 2025 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions

it was a fun rookie year...

but he lived on the promise of what was to come after that…and never produced it.

he should have left baseball 5 years ago. although the cubs are gonna suck plenty for the next few years, they’d have 4-5 more wins this year if he’d been gone (assuming someone equally as awful wasn’t thrown out there in his place).

http://www.simdynasty.com/index.jsp?refer=mychiefs58

by huckleberry on May 19, 2025 10:19 AM EDT reply actions

If he had left after last year...

I wouldn’t have been disappointed, but going back just to 2008, he was a dominant closer so I don’t think he overstayed his welcome too long. He never should’ve left for CLE but I think he wanted to branch out and see what life was like on the other side of Cub-dom (well, that and he got offered much more than the Cubs were going to). I’m glad he returned and retired as a Cub.

by dbreer23 on May 19, 2025 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions

KBR LOVES WOOD!

Also Kerry isn’t bad either! I admit that I was a huge fan of this guy and loved how he took the baseball world by storm as a rookie. Its too bad we never got to see him reach his potential but any real fan knows how talented this guy truly was.

Big Sexy

Follow KBR and Dewey on Twitter! @KBRandDewey

by King Billy Royal on May 19, 2025 10:37 AM EDT reply actions

I think any discussion of Kerry Wood's career is incomplete without mention of the man's dedication to service

Kerry and his wife did a lot of great charity work in the Chicagoland area. He also loved being a Cub, and I don’t think the game was ever quite the same for him when he wasn’t in the uniform.

All of the arm issues were unfortunate, but Dusty Baker or not, they were probably inevitable given how many pitches the guy had to throw and his total gamer attitude. His stuff didn’t just overwhelm his opponents, it overwhelmed Kerry himself at times.

He made the game on and off the field a better one just by his presence. I’m a White Sox fan by nature, but here’s to you Kid K.

Are you part of the Padres MInor League Ball Mock Draft team? Jump over to the thread here: https://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/5/7/3005839/padres-mod-thread UPDATED MAY 10

by mrkupe on May 19, 2025 11:07 AM EDT reply actions