Wilbur Wood, a three-time All-Star pitcher who made opposing batters swing and miss with a nasty knuckleball, has died, the Chicago White Sox announced. He was 84.
Wood spent 17 seasons in the majors from 1961 to 1978, spending 12 seasons with the White Sox. He also played for the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates.
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“The White Sox send our condolences to the family, friends and fans of 3x All-Star Wilbur Wood, who has passed away at the age of 84,” the team said on social media.
Wilbur made his debut with the Red Sox in 1961 as a 19-year-old pitcher and then found himself with the Pirates in his early 20s. But he made his biggest impact with the White Sox.
He started as a reliever for the White Sox. He led the majors in 1968 when he appeared in 88 games and then led the American League the next two years when he appeared in 76 games in 1969 and 77 games in 1970.
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Wood was thrust into the starting role in 1971 and did his best to perfect the knuckleball to put less stress on his throwing arm. He turned into an incredible workhorse pitcher, leading the majors in games started from 1972 to 1975. He won at least 20 games from 1971 through 1974.
He suffered a fractured kneecap on a line drive early in the 1976 season. When he returned to the mound, Wood began to struggle. His ERA ballooned to 5.20 in 28 games in 1978, which would be the final season of his career.
He finished his career with a 3.24 ERA and 1,411 strikeouts. The 376.2 innings he pitched during the 1972 season were the most by a starter in a single season in the Live Ball Era (since 1920), according to MLB.com.
Wood finished top three in AL Cy Young Award voting in 1971 and 1972.
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