Who would have guessed Chicagoans could get excited about baseball in May? Heck, the Bulls haven’t even gotten through the conference semifinals yet.
But here we are, chattering about major-league records and Cooperstown, thanks to the exploits of a 20-year-old rookie pitcher named Kerry Wood. On a day when Michael and the Jordanaires would perform like mere mortals, Wood put on a superhuman performance for the Cubs Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
With a combination of screaming fastballs approaching 100 m.p.h. and a wicked slider that left veteran hitters clueless, Wood struck out 20 batters from the Houston Astros. Only one other pitcher, Roger Clemens, has ever had as many strikeouts in a nine-inning game. Ever.
Wood did it in only his fifth major-league outing.
His dominance was all the more phenomenal when you consider that only two Houston batters reached base the whole game. One was hit by a pitch; the other glanced a single off the mitt of Kevin Orie, a ball the Cubs third baseman admitted he should have caught.
Consider the other pitchers who have even come close to the accomplishment. Besides Clemens, only Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson and David Cone have fanned 19 batters in a game. Get the picture?
Best of all, Wood, a big lovable Texas boy still five weeks from his 21st birthday, is yet too caught up in the wonder of the game to have been spoiled by star status. In the post-game euphoria, he insisted he was more excited about getting a win for his team than having his jersey shipped to the Baseball Hall of Fame for display.
The cynic might wonder how many strikeouts it will take before such humility is replaced by the brattiness and egotism we’ve come to expect from superstar athletes. The pessimist might start agonizing now over the day when other teams flash millions and try to lure away the Cubs’ catch.
For now, let’s enjoy what we’ve got: A local baseball player capable of performances spectacular enough to distract us from the annual springtime run with the Bulls.
As one voice from heaven might have uttered Wednesday afternoon, “Holy Cow.”
