Wilbur Wood, one of baseball’s most unique and durable pitchers, has passed away at the age of 84. A left-handed knuckleballer with an ironman workload and a quietly remarkable career, Wood carved out a legacy that still resonates with fans of the game’s craftiest and most resilient arms.
Wood’s journey to big league prominence didn’t follow a straight line. He debuted with the Red Sox in 1961, but over his first five seasons, he logged just 159 2/3 innings across 73 appearances.
It wasn’t until a trade to the Pirates in 1964 that he saw more consistent action, primarily as a reliever. Still, his career remained in a holding pattern - even spending all of 1966 in Triple-A - until a pivotal trade to the White Sox changed everything.
That move to Chicago was more than just a change of scenery. It paired Wood with knuckleball legend Hoyt Wilhelm, who helped him fully commit to the pitch that would define his career.
Wood had dabbled with the knuckler before, but under Wilhelm’s guidance, he embraced it as his primary weapon. The result?
A transformation from journeyman to bullpen ace.
Between 1967 and 1970, Wood became one of the most reliable firemen in the game. He posted a 2.49 ERA over 292 appearances and nearly 500 innings, thriving in every role imaginable - closer, set-up man, long reliever, innings-eater. He was the kind of pitcher who could take the ball whenever you needed him, and more often than not, he delivered.
But it was when the White Sox moved him back into the rotation in 1971 that Wood truly made history. Over the next five seasons, he redefined what it meant to be a workhorse.
From 1971 to 1975, Wood made 224 starts and threw an eye-popping 1681 2/3 innings - an average of over 336 innings per year. He led the majors in starts four times during that span and topped the league in innings twice.
His 376 2/3 innings in 1972 remain the highest single-season total by any pitcher since 1918 - a number that feels almost mythological in today’s game.
To put that into perspective: in 2025, MLB’s top two innings leaders - Logan Webb and Garrett Crochet - combined for 412 1/3 innings. Wood nearly matched that by himself in one season.
His efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Wood finished second in AL Cy Young voting in 1972, third in 1971, and fifth in 1973. He was named an All-Star three times during that stretch (1971, 1972, 1974), and his consistency in the face of such a heavy workload was nothing short of remarkable.
Of course, all those innings came with a price. The White Sox weren’t contenders during Wood’s peak years, and his win-loss record reflected that.
In 1973, he pulled off the rare feat of winning and losing 20 games in the same season, finishing 24-20. He won at least 20 games every year from 1971 to 1974 - and lost 20 more in 1975.
It was a product of the era and the team around him, but also a testament to how often he took the ball and gave his club a chance.
Wood’s run of durability came to a sudden halt in May 1976, when a line drive off the bat of Detroit’s Ron LeFlore fractured his kneecap. The injury ended his season and, in many ways, marked the beginning of the end.
He returned to pitch in 1977 and 1978 but wasn’t the same. Over those final two seasons, he posted a 5.11 ERA across 290 2/3 innings, and he retired soon after.
By the time he walked away from the game, Wood had built a career stat line that speaks to both longevity and effectiveness: 651 games, 2684 innings, a 164-156 record, a 3.24 ERA, and a walk rate of just 6.5%. He wasn’t overpowering - knuckleballers rarely are - but he was smart, steady, and incredibly tough.
Wilbur Wood wasn’t just a throwback - he was a one-of-one. A pitcher who leaned into the quirkiest pitch in baseball and turned it into a career that defied logic and expectations. His name might not always come up in conversations about the game’s greats, but for those who love the art of pitching, he’s a legend.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the many fans who appreciated his one-of-a-kind career.