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Wilbur Forrester Wood
Chicago White Sox
Pitcher
Born: October 22, 1941, Cambridge, MA
Signed: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams: Boston Red Sox 1961-1964; Pittsburgh Pirates 1964-1965; Chicago White Sox 1967-1978
Wilbur Wood's major league career can be split into two distinct eras, pre and post knuckle ball. Without the knuckle ball, Wood was used sparingly in relief by the Red Sox and Pirates between 1961 and 1965, and after 34 appearances in 1965 he'd spend all of 1966 in the minors. Traded to the White Sox in October 1966 for Juan Pizarro (#498), Wood mastered the knuckle ball with the help of teammate Hoyt Wilhelm (#565). His reliance on the pitch made him into one of the best and most frequently used relievers between 1967 and 1970, as he appeared in a then record 88 games in 1968 and saved 56 games during that span. Wood was named The Sporting News Fireman of the Year in 1968. Shifted into the starting rotation out of necessity, Wood entered the most successful stage of his career in 1971. He was a 20-game winner for four seasons in a row, leading the league in games started four times and innings pitched twice. Wood finished third in the Cy Young voting in 1971 and was runner-up to Gaylord Perry (#485) in 1972 when he went 24-17 with a 2.51 ERA in 49 starts and a career-high 376 2/3 innings pitched. He was an All-Star in 1971, 1972 and 1974.
In 1976, a line drive off the bat of the Tigers' Ron LeFlore broke Wood's kneecap and led to his eventual retirement following the 1978 season. In 651 career games and 2,684 innings pitched, Wood was 164-156 with a 3.24 ERA and 1,411 strikeouts. His 90 wins between 1971 and 1974 led the entire major leagues during that span and he started 70 games during his career on just two days' rest. Wood is currently third on the White Sox all-time games pitched list with 578 and his fifth on the list in wins with 163.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #159
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.
This is the 82nd of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York. My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside. After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far. With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298. The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing $1.25.
The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index +1
Topps used the exact same photo for Woods' 1968 and 1969 Topps cards. The back of the card highlights the eight shutouts Wood threw in 1966 but doesn't mention those shutouts were thrown while a member of the Columbus Jets in the International League.
Accuracy Index: Wood's card is accurate, but Topps couldn't find a different photo to use, so he gets just a +1.
1969 Season
Wood continued to be a workhorse out of the White Sox bullpen, appearing in a league-leading 76 games and going 10-11 overall with a 3.01 ERA in 119 2/3 innings pitched. As the primary closer for the White Sox, he saved 15 games.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #267
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1964-1965, 1967-1979
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2022 Topps Heritage Then and Now #TAN-WC
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 116 in the Beckett online database as of 10/29/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Wood continued to be a workhorse out of the White Sox bullpen, appearing in a league-leading 76 games and going 10-11 overall with a 3.01 ERA in 119 2/3 innings pitched. As the primary closer for the White Sox, he saved 15 games.
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First Mainstream Card: 1964 Topps #267
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1964-1965, 1967-1979
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2022 Topps Heritage Then and Now #TAN-WC
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 116 in the Beckett online database as of 10/29/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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