Kerry Wood
- Chicago Cubs (1998, 2000 to 2008, from 2011)
- Cleveland Indians (2009-2010)
- New York Yankees (2010)
- Rookie of the Year Award 1998
- All-Star 2003, 2008
- Most strikeouts in the NL in 2003
Kerry Lee Wood ( born June 16, 1977 in Irving, Texas) is an American baseball player in the major leagues. He currently plays as a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.
Career
Woods was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the MLB Drafts 1995 as the fourth player overall. He played three years in the minor leagues. On April 12, 1998, he made his debut in the major leagues for the Cubs. In his fifth game as a starting pitcher he allowed only one hit, no walk and no runs and reached 20 strikeouts against the Houston Astros. So he put the record held by Roger Clemens for strikeouts in nine innings. At the end of the 1998 season he had a record of 13-6 and was named Rookie of the Year. 1999 Wood underwent Tommy John Surgery and the fell for the whole season out. In 2000 he played again, but was unable to repeat his previous performance with a record of 8-7. 2001, however, he was 12-6 and an ERA of 3.36. The following year, a win -loss of 12-11 and an ERA of 3.67 were to book. 2003 Wood boosted again with 266 strikeouts, a record of 14-11 and an ERA of 3.20. His fastball was at an average speed of 95.4 mph the fastest of all the starters in the major leagues. Despite 100 walks and 24 home runs allowed, he was elected to the All- Star team in the National League. In the National League Division Series, he scored two wins against the Atlanta Braves and was starting Pitchter in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series 2003 ( NLCS ), which won the Cubs after the addition of innings. However, in the decisive seventh game, the Cubs lost to the eventual winner of the World Series, the Florida Marlins. In that game Wood hit the first home run of a pitcher in the NLCS since 1984.
In 2004 he only won 8 games and not play two months due to an injury. The problems continue into the 2005 season. End of August 2005 he had to undergo surgery and fell for the rest of the season. During Spring Training in 2006, he suffered various injuries, which required another operation on his knee. After a start in May, he returned to the injured list in June. Because of his frequent injuries Wood 2007 was agreed to be used as a relief pitcher. At the start of the season, however, he found himself again on the injured list again and only came in early August back to the mound. In the rest of the season he was employed in 22 games. Its limited to one inning inserts secured the Cubs victory in the Central Division of the NL. After the 2007 season he became a free agent and joined the Cubs a one-year contract for 4.2 million U.S. dollars. In Spring Training 2008, he was able to prevail against Bob Howry and Carlos Marmol and was given the task of Closers. The first save of his career he scored on April 3, 2008 against the Milwaukee Brewers. In 39 occasions, he was able to achieve 34 saves in 82 strikeouts and was elected to the All- Star team the NL.
After the Cubs had acquired in November 2008 Kevin Gregg as the new Closer by the Marlins, said Jim Hendry, general manager of the Cubs, with that the club does not intend to renew the contract with Wood. December 13, 2008 Wood signed a two -year contract with the Cleveland Indians. On 17 July 2010, he was set for the fourteenth time in his career on the injured list. On July 31, the last possible day for a substitution, he was transferred from the Indians to the New York Yankees. There he came - mostly in the penultimate inning - as a relief pitcher for use. By the end of September, he did not allow any run in 21 consecutive operations. After the end of the season, the Yankees decided an option to extend the contract for 11 million U.S. dollars not perceive. In December 2010, Wood returned to the Chicago Cubs, who had offered him a one year contract for 1.5 million U.S. dollars.
Private life
Wood is married with his wife Sarah a son born in 2006, Justin Dean. He lives with his family in Chicago.