1977
Born June 16, 1977
Irving, TX, USA
Kerry Wood Marquee
b. June 16, 1977 · Chicago Cubs 1998, 2000–2008, 2011–2012, Cleveland Indians 2009–2010, New York Yankees 2010
On May 6, 1998, at twenty, in his fifth start, he struck out twenty Houston batters and allowed one infield single. Nobody has struck out more in a nine-inning game. He was Rookie of the Year that season with 233 strikeouts in 166 innings and then missed all of 1999 after elbow reconstruction.
He led the National League with 266 strikeouts in 2003 and started the seventh game of the Championship Series that October, five outs from a pennant the Cubs did not get. Fourteen seasons gave him 86 wins, 63 saves, 1,582 strikeouts and a 3.67 earned run average across 1,380 innings, with two All-Star selections.
The shoulder gave out in 2005 and he became a relief pitcher, saving 34 games for Chicago in 2008 and finishing back there in 2012, when he struck out the last batter he faced and walked off. He and his wife have run a foundation for children's hospitals in Chicago since. The 2018 ballot gave him two votes of 422.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 2 | 2003, 2008 |
| MLB Players Choice Outstanding Rookie | 1 | 1998 |
| Player of the Week | 1 | 1998 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 | 1998 |
| The Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year | 1 | 1998 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | CHC | 26 | 54 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 0 | .130 |
| 2000 | CHC | 25 | 40 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 0 | .250 |
| 2001 | CHC | 29 | 48 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 0 | .188 |
| 2002 | CHC | 33 | 72 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 0 | .167 |
| 2003 | CHC | 32 | 61 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 0 | .164 |
| 2004 | CHC | 22 | 45 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 0 | .133 |
| 2005 | CHC | 21 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .111 |
| 2006 | CHC | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
| 2007 | CHC | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| 2008 | CHC | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | CLE | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | CLE/NYY | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | CHC | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | CHC | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Career | — | 449 | 346 | 23 | 59 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 32 | 11 | 114 | 0 | .171 |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | CHC | 13 | 6 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 166.2 | 117 | 63 | 85 | 233 | 3.40 |
| 2000 | CHC | 8 | 7 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 137.0 | 112 | 73 | 87 | 132 | 4.80 |
| 2001 | CHC | 12 | 6 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 174.1 | 127 | 65 | 92 | 217 | 3.36 |
| 2002 | CHC | 12 | 11 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 213.2 | 169 | 87 | 97 | 217 | 3.66 |
| 2003 | CHC | 14 | 11 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 211.0 | 152 | 75 | 100 | 266 | 3.20 |
| 2004 | CHC | 8 | 9 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 140.1 | 127 | 58 | 51 | 144 | 3.72 |
| 2005 | CHC | 3 | 4 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 66.0 | 52 | 31 | 26 | 77 | 4.23 |
| 2006 | CHC | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 19.2 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 4.12 |
| 2007 | CHC | 1 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 24.1 | 18 | 9 | 13 | 24 | 3.33 |
| 2008 | CHC | 5 | 4 | 65 | 0 | 34 | 66.1 | 54 | 24 | 18 | 84 | 3.26 |
| 2009 | CLE | 3 | 3 | 58 | 0 | 20 | 55.0 | 48 | 26 | 28 | 63 | 4.25 |
| 2010 | CLE/NYY | 3 | 4 | 47 | 0 | 8 | 46.0 | 35 | 16 | 29 | 49 | 3.13 |
| 2011 | CHC | 3 | 5 | 55 | 0 | 1 | 51.0 | 45 | 19 | 21 | 57 | 3.35 |
| 2012 | CHC | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 8.31 |
| Career | — | 86 | 75 | 446 | 178 | 63 | 1380.0 | 1083 | 563 | 666 | 1582 | 3.67 |
On this day & linked events
1998
Major-league debut: Kerry Wood
Kerry Wood made a major-league debut on April 12, 1998.
1998
Kerry Wood's 20-Strikeout Game
In just his fifth major league start, 20-year-old Cubs rookie Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros, tying the single-game record, while allowing only one hit and no walks.
2012
Final major-league game: Kerry Wood
Kerry Wood played a final major-league game on May 18, 2012.