Smoky Joe Wood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smoky Joe Wood |
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Wood with the Boston Red Sox in 1915
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| Pitcher / Outfielder | |||
| Born: October 25, 1889 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Died: July 27, 1985 (aged 95) West Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 24, 1908, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 24, 1922, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 117–57 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.03 | ||
| Strikeouts | 989 | ||
| Home runs | 23 | ||
| Runs batted in | 325 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Howard Ellsworth "Smoky Joe" Wood (born October 25, 1889 – died July 27, 1985) was an American professional baseball player. He played for 14 years in the big leagues. From 1908 to 1915, he was a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Later, from 1917 to 1922, he played as an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians. Wood is famous for being one of only 13 pitchers since 1900 to win 30 or more games in a single season. He won an amazing 34 games and lost only 5 in 1912!
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Becoming a Baseball Star
Smoky Joe Wood started playing baseball for a local team in Ouray, Colorado. He even played with a team called the "Bloomer Girls." These teams often traveled around, playing exhibition games against men's teams.
When Wood joined the Red Sox in 1908, he was just 18 years old. His big year was 1911. He won 23 games and had a very low earned run average (ERA) of 2.02. He also threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns. This means no one on the other team got a hit!
Wood earned his nickname "Smoky Joe" because he threw the ball incredibly fast. People said his fastball looked like smoke. He once said, "I threw so hard I thought my arm would fly right off my body."
Other famous players agreed about his speed. Walter Johnson, another legendary pitcher, once said that no one could throw harder than Smoky Joe Wood.
His Amazing 1912 Season
Wood's best season was in 1912. He had an ERA of 1.91 and struck out 258 batters. He won 34 games and lost only 5. This is one of the best pitching records ever! He also tied Walter Johnson's record by winning 16 games in a row.
On September 6, 1912, Wood had an exciting pitching duel against Walter Johnson. The newspapers called it a "heavyweight prizefight." A huge crowd of 29,000 fans came to Fenway Park to watch. Wood and Johnson kept the score 0-0 for five innings. Then, the Red Sox scored one run. Wood gave up only two hits and no runs, and the Red Sox won 1–0.
The 1912 season ended with the Red Sox playing the New York Giants in the 1912 World Series. The series was very close, going to a deciding Game 8. Wood came in to pitch and helped the Red Sox win the game 3–2. This also won them the World Series! Wood won three games in that series. He was also the first pitcher to strike out 11 batters in a World Series game.
Switching Positions
The next year, Wood had a tough break. He slipped on wet grass while trying to field a bunt and broke his thumb. He kept pitching for three more seasons, but his arm was never the same. He couldn't recover quickly after games.
In 1917, Wood was traded to the Cleveland Indians. There, he started a new career as an outfielder. He was good at batting, so he became a regular player. His former teammate, Babe Ruth, would also switch from pitching to playing the outfield a year later.
Wood became a strong hitter for the Indians. In 1918, he was among the top 10 players in the American League for runs batted in (RBI) and home runs. He played in four games during the 1920 World Series, which the Indians won.
Smoky Joe Wood finished his baseball career in 1922. As a pitcher, he had 117 wins and 57 losses, with an ERA of 2.03. As a hitter, his lifetime batting average was .283. In his last season, he had 150 hits and 92 RBIs, which were personal bests.
Life After Baseball
After his playing career, Wood became the head baseball coach at Yale University. He coached there from 1924 to 1941. His team won 283 games during his 18 seasons. He even coached his own son, Joe, who later pitched briefly for the Red Sox.
In 1981, Wood watched a famous college baseball game between Yale and St. John's University. Two future major league pitchers, Ron Darling and Frank Viola, were playing. Both pitched 11 scoreless innings! Wood, who was in the stands, said it was the best baseball game he had ever seen.
In 1984, when he was 94 years old, Wood received a standing ovation at Fenway Park in Boston. He was happy that people still remembered him as "Smoky."
Yale University gave Joe Wood an honorary degree in 1985. He was the first big league player to receive such an honor from Yale. Wood passed away on July 27, 1985. He was the last surviving member of the 1912 World Champion Boston Red Sox team. In 1995, he was chosen for the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
