Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood is expected to announce his retirement from baseball today, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPN.com.
The 34-year-0ld oft-injured righty has struggled for the Cubs this season, throwing 8 1/3 innings with an 8.64 ERA.
Wood was once one of the most exciting young players in baseball, when he burst onto the scene in 1998, winning the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award with a 13-6 record and a 3.40 ERA and an eye-popping 12.6 K/9 rate. In just his fifth major league start that season, he threw a one-hit shutout and notched 20 strikeouts, tying an all-time single-game record.
Wood missed all of the 1999 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and spent much of the next several seasons going on and off the disabled list. He moved from the rotation to the bullpen in 2007.
A two-time All Star, Wood pitched for the Cubs, Yankees, and Indians in his career. He’ll retire with a record of 86-75, 3.67 ERA, and 1,581 strikeouts. His career 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings is second on the all-time list behind Randy Johnson, and first among right-handed pitchers.
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