On Days When A Pitcher Throws

ON DAYS WHEN A PITCHER THROWS his best, hitters complain that the baseball looks as tiny as an aspirin tablet. In 1998, Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood threw so well it gave the Houston Astros headaches.

The Astros visited Wrigley Field. Wood, a young right-hander making his fifth career start, began the game by striking out the first five batters.

In the second, the Cubs got on the scoreboard following Mark Grace’s double and Henry Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly. The rookie pitcher continued to dominate—whiffing one Astro in the third, two in the fourth, three in the fifth, and one in the sixth.

With his fastball approaching 100 mph and his breaking balls crossing the plate at unreachable angles, Wood appeared untouchable. Except for Ricky Gutierrez’s third-inning single, no Houston player collected a hit.

The Cubs hurler gained even more strength as the game progressed. In both the seventh and the eighth, he struck out the side with 18 Ks through eight innings. Sensing a record-breaking performance, the crowd stood on every pitch, shouting, “Kerry! Kerry!”

In the ninth, Wood fanned pinch hitter Billy Spears on a 1-2 pitch for his seventh straight strikeout. Following Craig Biggio’s groundout, the Cub rookie blew a 1-2 pitch by Derek Bell for the final out and his 20th strikeout of the game. Wood’s effort tied the major league record set twice by Roger Clemens in 1986 and 1996.

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POINT Imagine standing in the batter’s box watching a baseball come at you at almost 100 miles per hour. Scary! Then imagine the ball changing angles at the last second. Impossible! Most sportswriters agree that hitting a pitched baseball is one of the most difficult accomplishments in sports.

God gives everybody special abilities. For many professional athletes, God’s gifts are on display for everybody to see. Kerry Wood certainly showed off his talents in striking out 20 batters in one game.

The next time we witness an amazing athletic performance or do something pretty impressive ourselves, let’s not forget where our power comes from.

GOAL! The next time you ride in a car going 50 miles per hour, think of throwing a baseball twice that fast. Thank God for the many gifts he gives people.