50 FAVORITE WHITE SOX PLAYERS

[knightni]

41. Wilbur Wood

 

 

(4 of 27 lists - 55 points - highest ranking #3 Texsox)

 

bio by Texsox -

 

I wasn't always a walkin' tall and proud Texan. A little known fact is I was born on the north side, Ravenswood Hospital, and grew up in the north suburbs. Hell, the way my dad moved us further and further north, I almost learned to speak Wisconsin. My entire family was Cub fans. I had to be different, and when you are trying to be different as a Chicago baseball fan in the early 1970s, nothing could be more different then the White Sox and their star pitcher, Wilbur Wood.

 

As I adjusted the rabbit ears to pick up the UHF signal on my black and white portable TV, I could make out Wilbur Wood through the reception snow. He was the fan favorite in his day. Fans went wild as one by one the best, most feared hitters in baseball would stroll to the plate and make swings you could only laugh at. Wood's knuckle ball just fluttered and dove. For those magical moments when Wood was on the mound, Comiskey Park was truly a No Spin Zone.

 

And Wilbur Wood was more than a baseball sideshow, he won twenty four games in 1973, while losing 20. Add 'em up, 44 decisions in one season. He was a knuckleball hurling machine. The last pitcher to consistently throw over 300 innings while making 45 starts a season. He once started both games of a double header. He lost both. But in the early 70s he was one of the only reasons to watch the team. He once beat the Indians twice in the same series. He came in and pitched five innings of 2 hit ball to earn a win, then started and finished a game two nights later earning the win in a two hit shutout.

 

Gaylord Perry narrowly won a Cy Young Award over Wilbur in 1972. Wood had a record of 24-17 on the year, with a 2.51 era, 193 Ks, in 376 2/3 innings. In 1971 Wood had compiled 210 strikeouts and a 1.91 ERA in 334 innings. He earned both Sport News Reliever of the Year (1968) and Pitcher of the Year (1972).

 

 

Please feel free to comment with any more info and favorite stories about this player or any other in this list.

[Middle Buffalo]

And Wilbur Wood was more than a baseball sideshow, he won twenty four games in 1973, while losing 20. Add ‘em up, 43 decisions in one season.

And you say it with such confidence. Hope you're not in charge of the head count at the jamborees.

[Jim Spencer]

I got to see him pitch against the Twins in the 1st game of a DH. I was just 10 years old and we lost. He also warmed up in the 2nd game but never came in.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

After the Sox got him from the Pirates, Hoyt Wilhelm ( knuckleballer extraordinaire) told Wood to use the knuckleball exclusively.

 

Ron LeFlore shattered Wood's kneecap with a line drive which effectively ended his career though he did pitch after that but wasn't the same.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

I think that's a fuzzy Bill Melton in the background of the Sports Illustrated cover.

[Texsox]

This list was very cool to put together. Strolling down memory lane to long ago Sox games is always worthwhile

 

 

[greg775]

Why the Sox wore red uniforms and were actually another version of the Red Sox? Is there a good answer to that?

As I recall after Wood came back they bunted him out of baseball. Guys bunted and he couldn't go get the ball anymore. His knuckler was amazing.

[EvilMonkey]

I remember the knee-thing. I broke my heart, no puin intended, as he was my favorite player at the time.