Longtime big league knuckleballer Wilbur Wood passed away on Saturday at age 84. A left-handed workhorse starter, Wood was a three-time All-Star over a 17-year MLB career that included stints with the White Sox, Pirates, and Red Sox.
It took Wood a while to really establish himself in the big leagues, as after making his MLB debut with Boston in 1961, Wood threw only 159 2/3 innings over 73 appearances from 1961-65. A trade from the Red Sox to the Pirates in 1964 at least gave Wood regular bullpen duty during the 1965 season, but after spending the entire 1966 campaign with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A team, he was traded to the White Sox in the move that really unlocked Wood’s career.
Future Hall-of-Famer Hoyt Wilhelm was a member of that Chicago team, and the veteran took Wood under his wing by teaching him some of the tricks of Wilhelm’s knuckleball. Wood had thrown the pitch on-and-off in the past, but under Wilhelm’s tutelage and encourage, Wood adopted the pitch on a regular basis and the rest was history. Over 292 games and 495 2/3 innings from 1967-70, Wood posted a 2.49 ERA as a fireman out of the White Sox bullpen, often tossing multiple innings in all sorts of situations as a closer, leverage set-up man, or just innings-eater.
The White Sox moved Wood back into the rotation in advance of the 1971 season, setting the table for a five-year run of numbers that seems impossible by today’s modern pitching standards. Wood posted a 3.08 ERA over 227 appearances (224 of them starts) and a whopping 1681 2/3 innings from 1971-75, leading the majors in starts four times over that span and twice leading MLB in innings. Wood’s success was recognized with a runner-up finish in AL Cy Young Award voting in 1972, and he also finished third in the Cy race in 1971 and fifth in 1973. Wood was named to the AL All-Star team in 1971, 1972, and 1974.
Even in an era when starters were expected to carry a heavier workload and four-man rotations weren’t uncommon, Wood’s knuckler-powered durability stood out. Wood’s 376 2/3 IP in 1972 is the highest single-season mark of any pitcher from 1918 to the present day. To put Wood’s 1972 season in perspective, MLB’s top two leaders in innings pitched in 2025 (Logan Webb and Garrett Crochet) combined for 412 1/3 innings last year.
Unfortunately for Wood, the White Sox weren’t particularly competitive during his five-year dream run. He became one of only a few pitchers in modern baseball history to both win and lose 20 games in a season when Wood went 24-20 in 1973. Wood won at least 20 games every year from 1971-74, and he also lost 20 more games in 1975.
Wood’s amazing run of durability ended when his kneecap was broken by a line drive off the bat of the Tigers’ Ron LeFlore in May 1976, which ended his season. Wood was never the same after the injury, as the southpaw posted a 5.11 ERA over 290 2/3 innings for Chicago in 1977-78. He decided to retire, concluding his career with a 164-156 record, a 3.24 ERA, 6.5% walk rate, and 12.7% strikeout rate over 651 games and 2684 innings.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Wood’s family, loved ones, and many fans.
All you had was a headless pic ?
RIP
Wilbur Wood was the last player to ever be t the starting pitcher in both games of a double header. No, he wasn’t an “Opener”! When Wilbur Wood walked out of the dugout, his intention was to go 9.
1971-1975 numbers are something we’ll never see again where he went over 300 innings 5 years in a row (375 IP in 1972). If he were a SP his entire career, first ballot HOFer.
1972 was shortened to 154 games due to the strike. Wilbur started 49 of them. Had the other 8 games been played Wilbur starts at least 2 of them. He threw 376.2 innings, he would have reached 390-395 innings. 2.99 FIP 10.7 WAR over 376 innings in a single season after a 1971 season that saw him throw 334 innings of 2.63 FIP 11.7 WAR. Amazing.
Probably never happen again.
RIP Wilbur
Maybe cause of death was decapitation
Not funny.
A true workhorse in the day, especially the early 70s. RIP. Eternal rest.
RIP to Wilbur, and prayers to his family. I enjoyed watching him pitch. I hope hes up there with the many ballplayers we’ve lost.
I still have his 1975 Topps card.
To W.W. My star, my perfect silence.
Not enough people named Wilbur these days.
Saw him as a youngster at Cominsky, Rip to A Chicago legend… believe started both ends of a doubleheader in career….
@olmtiant: Do you really think it was called “Cominsky”?
Cominsky Park. Right down Turdy-fif Street from da Jewel’s.
Exactly… mohoney… the spelling and pronunciation are two different things!!!
Alan… only saw the name posted on stadium hundreds of times… spelling D- what can I say….😉
I remember him when I was a young adult from the mid ’60s to the mid ’70s. He was good, stats say he was very good.
Won and lost 20 games in the same season. Started both games of a doubleheader. Played one season wearing shorts. All feats that will never be duplicated.
Fortunately
Lighten up
You’re right. We def need more 20 game losers and guys wearing shorts. My bad.
And if he stuck around 1 more season he could’ve ended it with “Death to Disco Night.” His unique and interesting career, as you documented, would’ve had one more mind-blowing aspect to it.But the amazing wrinkles that you’ve noted could only have come from a lefty whose primary pitch was the knuckleball. Well done, Wilbur. RIP
You wanna hurt me? Go right ahead if it makes you feel any better. I’m an easy target. Yeah, you’re right. I talk too much. I also listen too much. I could be a cold-hearted cynic like you, but I don’t like to hurt people’s feelings. Well, you think what you want about me. I’m not changing. I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me. ‘Cause I’m the real article. What you see is what you get.
That 1971/1972 run is one of the best two year pitching performances in MLB history. 93 games, 91 starts, a staggering 710.2 innings, 2.23 ERA, 22.5 WAR, 42 complete games, 15 shutouts, 155 ERA+, 1.031 WHIP. That would be an amazing career, and Wood did it in just two seasons.
If you throw in 1973, it’s 30.0 WAR, 1,070.0 innings, 139 starts, 63 complete games. A true throwback to the deadball era.
1971: 11.7 bwar
1972: 10.7 bwar
not too shabby
always of fan of Wilbur even thou he was not on my favorite team. as pointed out by a prior persons post he started both ends of a doubleheader and lost both games but earlier that same season he won 2 games in a day as he completed a suspended game and then started the scheduled game.
Sadly an icon passed. Hats off to old school.
376 innings pitched in ‘72.
only reason he finished 2nd in CY voting in 1972 is that he was edged out by Gaylord Perry who won 24 games with a 1.92 ERA
Rest in Paradise Wilbur.
My dad always joked that he was related to Jerry Wood. His only reason was they have the same last name so they’re related.
Kerry Wood* not Jerry Wood
Jerry Callo, not Jerry Gallo!
A knuckeballer. One we barely see these days. A great has fallen.
WW puts the vast majority of today’s “starters” to shame.
For a short period of time, he was unstoppable.
The solution to the pitch count analytics of today.
WWWWD?
Unfortunately, in today’s game, he wouldn’t get an opportunity, as he didn’t throw hard enough, or strike out enough guys.
85 complete games in his 4-year peak lol
RIP. The last pitcher to start both games of a doubleheader.
Go look at this guy’s Baseball Reference page. Wow!
All I knew about Wilbur that he threw a knuckle ball to Reggie Jackson on opening day in 1978 in Yankee stadium. Reggie hit one out off him and fans tossed the Reggie Bars were flooded onto the field. That was some sight to be hold.
Workhorse doesn’t do the man justice. He was a freaking stud. R.I.P.
If he was playing today and his 1971-1975 numbers were instead 2021-2025 numbers he have been signed this offseason for 4 years $250M by Dodgers or Mets
Knuckleballers are extremely rare, but southpaw knuckleballers even moreso. In the early ’70s, he was part of an exciting White Sox team at the time (though they couldn’t get past those fantastic Oakland squads) along with Dick Allen, Bill Melton, etc. RIP to a great pitcher andeven better man by all accounts.
Phil Niekro later went 21-20 in 1979
Must be a knuckleballer thing lol
I remember when Ron LeFlore of the Tigers shattered Wood’s kneecap with a liner up the middle. Hall of Fame Tiger announcer Ernie Harwell gave a vivid description on radio. It take a lot of skill to draw mental pictures with just words and no video. Scary moment for Wood, and he was never the same again.
Only lefty knuckler in history?
I remember Wilbur and his knuckler in my youth. A real workhorse. RIP. Condolences to his family and friends.
did you say….yutes?
over a 5 year period, 1971-1975, wilbur threw 1,681 innings.
thats an average of 336 ip / year or 129 more innings than mlb’s leader threw in 2025
jacob degrom has thrown 1539 innings in his entire career (12 seasons)
Great stuff! His 4 yrs in relief for the White Sox were insane as he averaged 114 innings per season..They couldn’t hit him!
Saw Wood pitch against Nolan Ryan. What a contrast. RIP WW
2.4 BB/9 for a walk rate 23.5% **below** league average …
Now that’s a knuckleball out of left field!
I had his signature endorsed baseball glove as a kid RIP to a real one
I never realized how young he was when his career ended–36, It boggles the mind to think what career numbers he would have had if he had been able to pitch into his mid-40’s, like other knuckleball pitchers sometimes do.
A cousin of mine lived down the street from him for years. Said Wilbur was as down-to-earth and as kind a man as you’d ever want to know. RIP.
Wilbur was great. RIP.
Blake Snell has 2 Cy Young Awards with a combined innings pitched of 360 innings.Wilbur Wood pitched 376 innings in 1 season.Rest in peace Wilbur you had a great fish market in Belmont Massachusetts and was always very nice to your customers/fans!
Way underrated. He’s truly a low level HOF candidate better than some already in. That’s the way it goes. But if you know baseball you know this guy.