Wilbur Wood began his first five seasons in the Majors with Boston and Pittsburgh, but he did not accomplish much of note. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1966, and after a year in the minors and developing the knuckleball, he would become one of the better Pitchers in ChiSox history.
Wood essentially had two careers in Chicago, where he began as a closer, leading the American League in Games Pitched annually from 1968 to 1970, and in the bookend years, he was first in Games Finished. Wood moved the starting rotation, and from 1971 to 1974, he was a 20 Game winner, with three All-Star Games. During this period, he twice led the AL in Wins and twice in Innings, and from 1970 to 1972, he finished in the top five in Cy Young voting.
Wood’s career was derailed when a line drive cracked his kneecap in 1976, and while he managed to carve out two more years, he wasn’t the same. Wood retired in 1978 with a record of 164-156 with 1,411 Strikeouts and 57 Saves.
Comments powered by CComment