A game to remember

When someone mentions the anniversary of an event, the reaction often is:

"Wow! Was it that long ago?"

That's how I felt when I heard that 10 years ago today, Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood tied the major-league record by striking out 20 batters in a nine-inning game.

I happened to be home from work that Wednesday and tuned in to WGN on cable to watch the broadcast of the game with the Astros. Wood was making only his fifth start for Chicago but already was drawing a lot of attention as possibly the next pitching sensation. (Plus, I'd lucked into getting him on my Rotisserie League team.)

On May 6, 1998, he seemed to validate the predictions by pitching one of the great games in history. The only hit by Houston was Ricky Gutierrez's bouncer that Cubs shortstop Jeff Blauser couldn't quite handle. Wood also hit Craig Biggio with a pitch, but other than that, the Astros didn't reach base.

Going into the top of the ninth inning, Wood had recorded 18 strikeouts, one short of the National League record first set in the modern era by Steve Carlton. When Bill Spiers swung at the third strike for No. 19, I remember shouting the news to my wife, who didn't care.

Biggio hit a grounder for the second out, and the Wrigley Field crowd booed him. Then Derek Bell strode to the plate.

Pittsburgh fans know Bell for his career-ending "Operation Shutdown" during spring training in 2002, when he said he wasn't going to give his full effort if he was going to be competing for a job. That followed a season in which he hit .173, so the Pirates said goodbye and ate the remainder of his two-year contract (which turned out so badly that it helped get GM Cam Bonifay fired).

Facing Wood in '98, Bell made another ignominious place in baseball history for himself by becoming Kerry's 20th strikeout victim. That tied the record set twice by Roger Clemens … yeah, I know, but we're not going to get into any of that.

During WGN's postgame interview, I thought I saw Kerry Wood giving a bit of a nervous shake, which was understandable considering that he wouldn't turn 21 for another month. His future seemed as bright as a pitcher could have, especially when he copped Rookie of the Year honors for '98, also setting a new record (since broken) for most strikeouts per nine innings during the season.

After Aug. 31, though, he pitched only once more in 1998, a five-inning stint against the Braves in the playoffs. And after that, he didn't pitch in the majors again until May 2, 2000.

A seemingly endless series of arm problems has sapped the promise of immortality that Wood showed on May 6, 1998. He still is with the Cubs, entering this season as the team's closer, an indication that the team still has faith in his abilities.

But anyone who watched his gem of a decade ago has to be disappointed that he didn't have more one-hitters or 20-strikeout games in his right arm.