Wood knocks over D-Backs 6-4
Cubs' rookie cooks up 13-K answer for All-Star snub
Posted: Wednesday July 01, 1998 07:15 PM
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Wood fanned 13 Diamondbacks and has struck out nine or more batters eight times this season (AP) |
CHICAGO (AP) -- The only one not disappointed that Kerry Wood didn't
make the National League All-Star team was Kerry Wood.
The rookie pitcher struck out 13 in eight innings Wednesday to lead
the Chicago Cubs to a
6-4 victory over the Arizona
Diamondbacks.
Wood (8-3), backed by fans who hung "Ks" around Wrigley Field for each
strikeout, improved to 6-0 in eight starts at home. He gave up a one-out
single in the third, a leadoff single in the fourth and a leadoff triple in
the seventh.
"I wasn't expecting to make it," Wood said of the All-Star team.
"Maybe next year."
Wood, who turned 21 on June 16, now has 139 strikeouts in 93 1/3
innings. Despite tying a record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game
this season, Wood was not among the reserves named Wednesday by Florida
manager Jim Leyland. Wood said he'll spend one of the off days taking part
in a clinic at Wrigley Field.
"I thought he would make it for one reason and that is I thought the
league would say, 'We want this kid in there,'" Cubs manager Jim Riggleman
said. "I applaud the league for not getting involved and telling Jim
[Leyland] who he should take."
Wood's teammates were not as gracious.
"A 20-year-old who is second in the league in strikeouts and what he's
done for baseball in a short amount of time, sure he should be there," Cubs
second baseman Mickey
Morandini said. "He's created a lot of excitement in this city and
wherever we go."
"I think baseball missed a big chance to get great ratings," Chicago's
Mark Grace
said. "They could market it 'Kerry Wood starts against the best American
League hitters.' That's the one that's an oversight. That kid is too good
to not go."
Sammy
Sosa, who hit a record 20 home runs in June and made his second
All-Star team as a reserve, began July with a pair of RBI doubles for the
Cubs.
Grace also drove in two runs and Morandini had three hits and scored
three runs for Chicago, which won for only the second time in its last 10
games.
Wood said he didn't throw a changeup the entire game, relying on his
fastball, slider and curve.
"You could see their knees buckle," catcher Tyler Houston
said of the Diamondbacks.
"He's nasty," Arizona's Yamil Benitez
said. "That guy throws 98 [mph]. He confused me all day. He threw
backwards. I went looking for fastballs and he threw sliders. A slider for
him is 88 or 90. He confused me big time."
"Kerry Wood was obviously outstanding," Arizona manager Buck Showalter
said. "He's good for the game of baseball but bad for the opposition."
Two Chicago errors helped Arizona close to 6-4 in the ninth. But Rod Beck got rookie
Travis Lee to ground out with the bases loaded for his 19th save.
Amaury
Telemaco (2-3), claimed off waivers from the Cubs May 15, gave up four
runs -- three earned -- and seven hits in six innings.
Henry
Rodriguez hit a double that dropped between left fielder Benitez and
shortstop Tony
Batista in the Cubs second, advanced on a groundout and scored on Tyler
Houston's sacrifice fly.
Telemaco scored on a fielding error by third baseman Manny
Alexander in the third to tie it 1-1.
Sosa hit an RBI double in the Cubs third to go ahead 2-1.
With runners at first and second and one out in the Cubs fifth, Grace
singled to drive in one run while another scored on Benitez's throwing
error.
Karim
Garcia hit a sacrifice fly in the D-Backs seventh, scoring David
Delluci, who had tripled.
Sosa hit his second RBI double in the seventh and scored on Grace's
single to make it 6-2.
Notes: The D-Backs are the first team Wood has beaten twice this
year. He struck out 13 in Arizona in a 4-2 win May 11. ... Wednesday's game
marked the sixth time in 15 starts that Wood has struck out at least 10.
... Outfielder Devon White was
named the Diamondbacks' All-Star representative. ... Arizona's Jay Bell was given
Wednesday off to nurse a stiff back. ... Cubs catcher Sandy
Martinez dropped his appeal and began serving a two-game suspension for
his part in a fight May 25 at Atlanta. Martinez, who was suspended by the
NL, will be eligible to play Friday.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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