I remember watching Kerry Wood’s 20 K game as a youngster, although I didn’t understand the magnitude of the feat until I visited my father’s office, where there was a poster of Nolan Ryan with “20” imprinted over his trademark pitching motion. Ryan was the archetype for me at that time, so I naturally fell in love with the wonky curveball-throwing Wood.
Performances like Wood’s — salient, standout events in baseball history — are reasons why young kids fall in love with the game and why longtime fans continue to watch. But do we actually truly understand the momentous nature of Wood’s start?