Random Topps Card of the Day: 2001 Topps #623 Kerry Wood

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, December 20, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2001 Topps #623.
• Player Name, position, team: Kerry Wood, pitcher, Chicago Cubs.
• Major League Debut: April 12, 1998.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2000 stats (Cubs): 23 G, 137 IP, 8-7, 77 R, 73 ER, 132 SO, 87 BB, 23 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 4.80 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Drafted by the Cubs, #1st, June 1995. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 17. This is his fourth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "After missing all of 1999 while recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery, Kerry returned triumphantly on May 2, 2000 - nearly two yars to the day from his historic 20-strikeout game.  On the first pitch he saw as a batter, Wood blasted a two-run homer.  He went on to earn the W after six innings of three-hit ball.  On the season, batters hit just .226 of the young fireballer."
• Commentary: I didn't know if I liked the green used in the 2001 Topps set or the blue used for the Opening Day set better.  But after seeing the blue used in the 2003 set, I'm glad for the shade of green.  Kerry Wood was the toast of the town when he arrived in Chicago.  Here was this kid (he was only 20 at the time of his 20-K performance) making it look easy against major league hitters.  He was already drawing comparisons to another Texas-born strikeout artist.  He was Chicago's hope for a championship, and it almost could have been done.  To dream though.  Anyway, Wood did not miss a beat in 2001, going 12-6, an ERA of 3.36, striking out 217 of the 740 batters he faced (11.2 k's per 9 innings pitched), and getting a WHIP of 1.256.  Unfortunately, he was a frequent visitor to the MLB disabled list, missing chunks of time from 2004-2007.  He experienced a renaissance of sorts when he was converted to a closer.  In 2008, he saved 34 games and was named to his second All-Star team.  After a couple of seasons in the AL (with the Indians and Yankees), Kerry returned to the Cubs as a free agent, retiring with the team just this past year.  
• Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 59 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1978 Topps #468. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama