Kid K Marks a Milestone

Seventeen years ago, on August 11, 2003, Cubs righthander Kerry Wood struck out his 1,000th batter in just the 834th inning of his career. He thus became the fastest pitcher in history to reach 1,000 strikeouts.

     Wood had exploded onto the scene five years earlier when he struck out 20 Houston Astros in his fifth major-league outing. That particular effort was certainly among the most dominant of all time. Wood walked none, hit one batsman, and allowed only one hit, an infield single (off third baseman Kevin Orie's glove) that could have easily been ruled an error. No one has ever struck out 21 batters in a game, and no one except Wood has ever struck out a number of batters that equaled his own age at the time.   

KERRY WOOD

     The 1998 Cubs rode Wood's Rookie-of-the-Year performance and Sammy Sosa's mind-boggling offensive production into the postseason, where they were summarily dispatched by the Atlanta Braves. Wood missed the entire 1999 season with an elbow injury and was able to make only 23 appearances in 2000. 

     Wood was at the peak of his powers in 2001, 2002, and 2003. For the 2003 Cubs, he won 14 games, led the league in strikeouts and fewest hits per inning, and made the All-Star team. Now 26, he combined with other relative youngsters Mark Prior (22), Carlos Zambrano (22), and Matt Clement (28) to form the Cubs' most effective rotation in several decades. They ranked 1-2-3-4 on the club in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), with Sosa fifth. 

     The Cubs won their division and captured their first postseason series since 1908 (getting even with the Braves for 1998), but fell short of their first pennant since 1945 in the most excruciating fashion. Game 6 of the National League Championship Series was infamous for the foul ball that left fielder Moises Alou might have caught if not for the intervention of a fan. In Game 7, Wood helped his own cause with a two-run homer but ended up taking the loss as the Florida Marlins again came from behind to win.

     No one knew it yet, but Wood's best days were already behind him as the Marlins celebrated. He was never a bankable starting pitcher again. A succession of injuries required him to visit the disabled list 16 times over the course of his career. He had a few okay years as a reliever for the Cubs, Indians, Yankees, and Cubs again before hanging it up at the age of 35.

     Although his career is a prototypical case of what might have been, Cub fans have always held Wood in high esteem. He was a game competitor, never made excuses, and he clearly loved 1) playing for the Cubs, 2) Cub fans, and 3) Chicago. He and his family reside in the area to this day.