Kerry Wood announced his retirement following this afternoon's game against the Chicago White Sox.
Wood, who wanted to make one more relief appearance before making the news official, struck out the White Sox's Dayan Viciedo in the eighth inning before leaving the mound to a standing ovation from the Wrigley Field fans. He faced only one batter in his outing. Teammates surrounded him as he came off the mound. After entering the dugout, Wood came out for a curtain call and waved his cap to fans.
"I had a blast," Wood said of his major league career after Friday's game, his last. "I wouldn't trade it in, I learned from the injuries, I learned about my body and what it takes to compete and go out and play every day.
"Mentally and physically we get to this point," Wood said. "Every player gets to this point where we don't get to choose when, we don't all get to have a say in it. But I was fortunate enough to play this game a long time in a great city in front of the best fans in baseball. ... It was time"
Wood, the 34-year-old Chicago Cubs righthander, recently returned from the disabled list because of a shoulder injury but had struggled this season. In 10 appearances, he is 0-2 with an 8.31 ERA. He had walked 11 batters and struck out only six in 8 2/3 innings, and he recently tossed his glove and hat into the crowd after being pulled from a rough outing.
"My body wasn't bouncing back this year," Wood said. "I felt like I was putting guys in the 'pen in situations they didn't need to be in. I defintely didn't want to go out with my last inning being me throwing my glove in the seats. I wanted to put up a zero or at least get one guy out."
Reports of Wood's decision to retire broke before Friday's game and his manager spoke about briefly before the Cubs' 3-2 loss.
"It's one of those things where you know," Cubs manager Dale Sveum told reporters before Friday's game against the White Sox. "It's the most difficult thing you ever have to deal with. Everybody has to do it. It's a time in your life where you make that decision."
One of Wood's teammates and closest friends on the Cubs, starting pitcher Ryan Dempster, spoke about Wood's decision before the game.
"It's really been an honor to play with him," Dempster told CSNChicago.com. "He's definitely going to be missed. The City of Chicago and fans loved him, and rightfully so."
Wood shined early in his 14-season major league career, posting double-digit win totals in four of his first five seasons. As a rookie in 1998, he tied a major league record with 20 strikeouts in just his fifth career start.
He had his best season in 2003, going 14-11 with a 3.20 ERA and leading the National League with 266 strikeouts. That season, Wood and righthander Mark Prior formed a formidable 1-2 rotation punch that led the Cubs to the NLCS, where they lost to the eventual World Series champion Florida Marlins. That NLCS featured the infamous Steve Bartman incident, which was a prelude to a complete meltdown in Game 6 and loss in Game 7.
However, he was plagued by elbow and shoulder injuries and transitioned to a full-time relief role by the 2007 season. From 2008-09, he averaged 26 saves but never again reached double digits in saves after the 2009 season.
Wood, the fourth overall pick in the 1995 draft, played for the Cubs until he signed with the Cleveland Indians prior to the 2009 season. He also pitched for the New York Yankees before returning to the Cubs for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
He was 86-75 with a 3.67 ERA, 63 saves and 1,582 strikeouts in 446 career games (178 starts).
Wood was a two-time All-Star and the NL rookie of the year in 1998.
No comments:
Post a Comment