Former Chicago White Sox knuckleballer Wilbur Wood, who played from 1961-78, passed away Saturday at the age of 84, the White Sox announced.
Wood embodied the definition of durability throughout his career. While it was a different game for pitchers, he became one of the most consistent pitchers of the early 1970s with Chicago.
The left-hander started his career with the Boston Red Sox at the age of 19. In 1964, he was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was used sparingly as a reliever until he was traded to Chicago in 1966.
Wood’s Chicago White Sox Career
In 1967, Wood made his White Sox debut. From 1967-70, he pitched in 292 games, including an astounding 88 in 1968. This was just the start of what would be an elite stretch with the White Sox.
In 1971, Wood became a full-time starter and made his mark in the league. That year, he started 42 games, pitching to a 1.91 ERA. Even more unbelievable than his ERA that year was his 11.7 bWAR and 334 innings pitched.
Wood finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting that year and ninth in MVP voting, and was selected to his first All-Star Game.
The following year, he would start a whopping 49 games, pitching to a 2.51 ERA in 376.2 innings, the most innings thrown by a pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920). He would be the runner-up in Cy Young voting that year to Gaylord Perry, and would get his second All-Star appearance.
Then, in 1973, Wood had a 3.46 ERA in 359.1 innings, finishing fifth in Cy Young voting. In 1974, he had a 3.60 ERA in 320.1 innings. He would earn his third, and final, All-Star appearance. Since 1920, Wood is one of 10 pitchers who have thrown 300 innings in four seasons or more, per MLB Network.
He would finish his White Sox career with 51.7 bWAR in 578 games (286 starts), with a 3.18 ERA. While putting up those legendary stats, his durability was not to be understated. At his peak from 1971-75 with Chicago, Wood threw 1,681.2 innings.
That number was nearly 100 more than the next closest pitcher at that time, averaging 336.2 per season.
Wood’s Legacy
Beyond his elite play during his peak, Wood accomplished feats that will never be touched again.
Roy Halladay, in 2003, pitched 266 innings. That number is the most by a pitcher since 2000, and still 70 less than what Wood averaged during his peak.
In 2025, Logan Webb pitched 207 innings, the most in the majors, and a far cry from what pitchers used to do. While it is a different game today, Wood’s unbelievable run is not to be overlooked.
We will never see another pitcher have more than 40 starts in a season, more than 300 innings, all while maintaining an elite level of play.
There are several factors to consider. Pitchers throw much harder than they did in Wood’s day, and the knuckleball is all but extinct. Because of this, the incidence of arm injuries and injuries as a whole is much higher than it was in Wood’s day.
Because of this, Wood’s innings record, as well as his overall durability, will never be seen again in baseball.
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