KID K: Owner of the highest individual Game Score in MLB history (in his fifth start, and watch all 20 third strikes here) and one of only three pitchers to hurl more than 1000 innings with a K/9 IP ratio higher than 10 (Unit, Pedro), Kerry Wood entered today's game to face one more batter before announcing his retirement.
If you don't get a bit dusty watching this, I don't even want to know you.
I just got home from the game, about half an hour ago. Some people around me didn't know why there was all the clapping--which was coming from people in both Cubs and Sox gear--but once it was explained, they all joined in the ovation.
ReplyDeleteI was sitting about six rows up from the Cubs' 'pen along the left field line, and when the bullpen pitchers came out, Wood hugged a lot of those guys and dapped all of them. Wood's wife is from the Chicago area, and they've lived here even in the off-season (read: winter). So he's pretty beloved, and yeah, it was super-moving. I cried.
Wood was my husband's favorite player, and I suspect that my husband will spend this evening (rightly, I think) railing against Dusty Baker. Tonight, I will not complain about his complaints.
(One comment for each inning?)
ReplyDeleteIf that truly was his last pitch, that's a hell of a finish.
I thought the room was supposed to get dusty, not us. Or do we leave getting Dusty to bristlesage's husband at this point?
ReplyDelete--bd
Fare thee well, Wood. Thanks for the great memories. Also, thanks to the Sox for the win.
ReplyDelete[repeats deleted. -Mgmt.]
ReplyDeleteIt was extremely appropriate that the original post referenced the word "dusty.". Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI was at Wrigely on some random afternoon that turned out to be the start before Kerry's 20K (I want to say it was his major league debut, but it probably wasn't). All in all, that was quite a summer on the North Side. Seemed everywhere you looked, there was the same t-shirt: "We Got Sammy" (front), "We Got Wood" (back). Nostalgia and basball fandom are hand in mitt, but yeah ... this hits me. Thanks, Kerry.
ReplyDeleteMerci bien.
ReplyDelete