CHICAGO — Kerry Wood arrived in the majors 14 years ago, a fresh-faced kid with No. 34 on his back, slinging fastballs at 100 mph, delivering breaking pitches that were often unhittable and striking out 20 batters in just his
CHICAGO — Kerry Wood arrived in the majors 14 years ago, a fresh-faced kid with No. 34 on his back, slinging fastballs at 100 mph, delivering breaking pitches that were often unhittable and striking out 20 batters in just his fifth start.
On Friday, he left the game after one final, emotional appearance with the Chicago Cubs.
Fittingly, “Kid K” struck out the last batter he’ll ever face and retired at the age of 34, ending a career that was eye-popping at times but hampered by injuries.
“I had a blast. I wouldn’t trade it in. I learned from the injuries, I learned about my body and what it takes to compete and go out and play every day,” Wood said after his final game, a 3-2 loss to the White Sox.
“Mentally and physically we get to this point,” Wood said. “Every player gets to this point where we don’t all get to choose when, we don’t all get to have a say in it. But I was fortunate enough to play this game a long time in a great city in front of the best fans in baseball. … It was time.”
Wood struck out Dayan Viciedo on three pitches, the last one a swing and a miss, in the eighth inning before he was replaced by bench coach Jamie Quirk — manager Dale Sveum had been ejected earlier. His teammates joined Wood on the mound to congratulate him and he left to a rousing ovation.
Even White Sox slugger Adam Dunn doffed his batting helmet and clapped for Wood as he stood at first base.
Wood hugged his son as he reached the dugout, then lifted the boy into his arms. Moments later, he came out for a curtain call and waved his cap to the fans.
Padres’ Stauffer,
Darnell go on DL
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres have placed starter Tim Stauffer on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right elbow, retroactive to Tuesday, and put James Darnell on the DL a day after he partially separated his shoulder diving for a fly ball in left field.
The Padres recalled right-hander Nick Vincent from Triple-A Tucson. Also Friday, left-hander Eric Stults, claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox, reported to the Padres.
Stauffer is on the DL for the second time this season. He was reinstated Monday and made his season debut that day against the Washington Nationals, allowing Bryce Harper’s first big league homer in a spotty five innings in an 8-5 loss. He had been scheduled to start opening day against the Los Angeles Dodgers but was placed on the DL with a strained right elbow.
Darnell was hurt in Thursday night’s 8-1 loss to Los Angeles. He was recalled from Triple-A Tucson on May 11 and played in seven games.
Royals’ Duffy, Wood headed for Tommy John
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Maybe the Kansas City Royals can get a two-for-one special on Tommy John surgeries from Dr. Lewis Yocum.
Royals pitchers Danny Duffy and Blake Wood are both scheduled to have reconstructive elbow surgery after being examined by the Angels’ medical director Friday in Tempe, Ariz.
Yocum will perform the operations at his office in Los Angeles.
The Royals already lost closer Joakim Soria to his second Tommy John surgery during spring training, and hotshot prospect John Lamb had the same surgery last year.
Duffy, the team’s best starter early this season, sustained a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in 2010. Wood first hurt his elbow during the 2009 season.
Clemens accuser
says he ‘misspoke’
about evidence
WASHINGTON — Roger Clemens’ lawyer accused the baseball legend’s former strength coach of changing testimony “on the fly,” and the judge in the perjury trial imposed a time limit Friday on all future witnesses in an effort to speed things up.
Under relentless questioning in his fifth day on the stand, Brian McNamee admitted he “misspoke” while explaining some of the medical evidence he saved in a beer can.
“Isn’t this a classic example of you making up this stuff on the fly?” asked attorney Rusty Hardin, who spent three days of cross-examination trying to portray McNamee as a serial liar.
McNamee is the main prosecution witness in the case against Clemens, who is accused of lying to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs. McNamee testified this week that he injected the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with steroids and human growth hormone.
Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton put both sides “on notice” that the trial needs to wrap up by June 8 — or else it will have to recess for about a month because of various scheduling conflicts.
Cardinals put Craig,
McClellan on DL
LOS ANGELES — The St. Louis Cardinals have placed outfielder Allen Craig on the 15-day disabled list on Friday because of a left hamstring strain, along with reliever Kyle McClellan because of an elbow strain.
The move with Craig is retroactive to May 17. He was hitting .373 in 13 games with 19 RBIs and five home runs — all of them during a seven-game stretch. He began the season on the DL with a sore right knee.
McClellan had a 5.30 ERA in 16 appearances, allowing 11 earned runs, 16 hits and nine walks in 18 2⁄3 innings.
Outfielder Adron Chambers and right-hander Brandon Dickson were recalled from Triple-A Memphis before the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
Phillies’ Manuel, umpire suspended 1 game each
PHILADELPHIA — Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has been suspended one game for his nose-to-nose argument with plate umpire Bob Davidson during a game on Tuesday night.
Davidson also received a one-game suspension for what Major League Baseball called “repeated violations” in how umpires are supposed to handle situations.
Manuel was ejected in the eighth inning of a 4-3, 10-inning win over Houston. He thought a ball had been foul-tipped and got into an argument with Davidson that escalated into profanities. He’ll serve the suspension on Friday night when the Phillies host the Boston Red Sox.
Davidson also will serve his suspension on Friday, missing the Minnesota Twins’ interleague game at Milwaukee. A minor league call-up umpire will take his place.
Verlander nearly
throws 3rd no-hitter
DETROIT — Two outs were all that separated Justin Verlander from yet another rare achievement — and an exclusive club that includes Cy Young, Nolan Ryan and only three other pitchers.
With the crowd on its feet in anticipation of Verlander’s third no-hitter, the Detroit ace threw a sharp breaking ball, just off the outside corner. Josh Harrison stuck his bat out and flicked a soft line drive agonizingly toward center field.
Harrison’s ninth-inning single broke up Verlander’s latest no-hit bid, but the powerful right-hander was brilliant again for the Tigers, striking out 12 in a 6-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. Verlander allowed two walks and settled for his first career one-hitter. He nearly became the sixth major leaguer to throw at least three no-hitters.
Verlander also fell just short of the third no-hitter in the majors already this season.
