#553 Wilbur Wood #554 In Action Wilbur Wood

A transformation…and a man whose success was influenced by others....a few pitchers can go from starter to bullpen with no loss of effectiveness…stranger yet to go from the league’s most prominent fireman to starter….Move was the brainchild of pitching coach Johnny Sain who at that time oversaw at least one 20 game winner for every each team he coached…started a string 4 20+ win seasons…lead AL in several categories most significantly back to back 24 wins….games started, innings, and the downside losses….the journey started as a obscure off speed pitcher who couldn’t break in with the Red Sox and Pirates…was able to impress in the minors however and more importantly the White Sox brass…. knuckleball was refined by Hoyt Willhem…the rest is history…rapidly rose to ranks of the top and most used reliever in the majors…problem was the Chisox were winning very few games…his dramatic switchover to starter was found in very few careers….spent last few years in battling the effects of getting hit by a batted ball….last season went 10-10 for Chicago.