My Take
Kerry Wood is one of those rare athletes whose single greatest moment is so extraordinary it almost defines an entire career — and I mean that as a compliment. That May 1998 game against the Houston Astros, where a 20-year-old rookie tied the MLB record with 20 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout, is genuinely one of the most jaw-dropping pitching performances I've ever seen documented. The fact that he had the kind of raw, overpowering stuff that makes hitters look completely helpless, yet spent so much of his career fighting injuries, makes his story bittersweet. Cubs fans loved him fiercely — he was Wrigley Field royalty even through all the Tommy John surgeries and setbacks. He never got a World Series ring in his prime, but the legacy of that one perfect afternoon in '98 keeps him permanently in baseball's collective memory.
Overview
Kerry Lee Wood (born June 16, 1977) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. Wood first came to prominence as a 20-year-old rookie, when he recorded 20 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout against the Houston Astros, which some have argued may be the greatest single-game pitching performance in MLB history.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kerry Wood
- Name (Japanese)
- ケリー・ウッド
- Reading
- けりー・うっど
- Born
- June 16, 1977 (age 48)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Snake
- Origin
- Irving, Texas, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- baseball player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Grand Prairie High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.