TRANSCRIPT: Ep. 11: THE STRETCH Kerry Wood vs. Ben Sheets

Text Transcript of Ep. 11

00:00:00 – 00:05:07

Woah to. Welcome to the new best rivalry in baseball. Welcome back to the ninety miles podcast baseball fans. This is the seventh inning stretch. This is the segment where we Ryan and myself breakout and talk some history or some future or some things that aren’t necessarily tied to the week as it went. We want this to be a more archived segment today. We’re gonna talk about two classic pitching performances by our teams the brewers in the cubs. Yeah. Specifically Ryan, which which performance are you going to be speaking on today? Well, it’s it’s basically the greatest pitching performance all major league history. But. It’s the Kerry wood twenty strikeout game that sure is that was a very dominant pitching performance that absolately that was again, the one on the Houston Astros, a very very good team as may six nine hundred ninety eight at Wrigley field. And I’m going to I’m going to counter, I’m not going to counter, I’m just gonna talk a little bit about the bench sheets. Eighteen strike performance that occurred. I believe it was on may sixteenth two thousand and four against Atlanta. Who would go on to win the National League east and then lose in the first round of the playoffs. But yes, don’t you? Go ahead and jump in. Let’s hear more about Kerry Wood’s performance. And why that means so much to you. I mean baseball history. Well, yeah. I mean, it’s. It’s a rare feat, of course, twenty strikeouts in a game. But what what’s unique about this particular, twenty strikeout performance was just the the level of domination and the control that carry would had he, you know, the other thing definitely of note is this was his fifth major league start in his rookie year. So the the attendants I’m seeing here for that game was about fifteen thousands fifteen thousand seven hundred and fifty eight this is a may may six early may nineteen ninety eight v start by this young rookie Kerry would now there was some hype. I mean, certainly people were aware this guy is special but to come out and to tie a major league record twenty strikeouts. Just out of the blue like this. I mean. I think it’s it’s one of those things that makes baseball such a such an interesting sport. And why why there can be excitement for every game? When you decide to sit down and watch a game or put it on the radio. And listen, you never know you never know if you might witness history. And you know, I mean fifteen thousand people were there, you know, the they probably had no idea. What they you know, as like, okay? Let’s see what this kid’s Scott. You know? And here they are racing. An extremely good Astros team. I mean, we’re talking Craig BG. Oh, you know, Derek Bell. Jeff Bagwell Moi’s. Oh, lou. You know, this is was a very good hitting team. And yeah, I mean Kerry would just everything clicked and and just absolutely dominated. So. Yeah. And Kerry Wood’s career kinda got cut a little bit short mostly due to injury. Correct. And. Yeah. Inability to return prior to the big hopes at one point in time in cubs history. Oh, yeah. Yep. Ended up having some struggles. And yeah, that also leads me to talk a little bit too on Ben sheets. Who is yes. His career was often marred with injury. There is more than there’s several years where he had over two hundred innings pitched, in fact, one two three three years we had over two hundred innings pitched another one where he was one ninety eight and a third. So when he was good and durable. He he was there for longtime the game that I was going to speak on briefly was again that may sixteenth game two thousand four bench sheets goes on to strike out eighteen batters against the Atlanta Braves. The Atlanta Braves that would end up winning the National League east. You had some great players on that squad. You had Adam LaRoche J D, drew. Through some remember Johnny Estrada, Andrew Jones Jones, put up the only run up against sheets that day sheets did give up three hits one of them was a home run to Andrew Jones, Andrew that spills DR.

00:05:07 – 00:10:02

You w at the end Andrew as I remember he did end up also striking out Chipper Jones as a pinch hitter. At one point in that game. This is a very very good Atlanta team at the time, it was early may and Milwaukee was playing well, but you had guys like, you know, and Bruce fans will remember Scott put said Craig counsel was playing shortstop that day. Bill hall was playing second. Jeff Jenkins Lyle over bay Brady Clark. These guys were pretty solid players. But let’s face it. They weren’t they weren’t you know, murderer’s row. The the brew crew would go on to not have a particularly successful year that you’re that was really a highlight. And that speaks to what you were talking about a little bit. You don’t know when you go to game what you’re gonna get your team could be well in the tank, but something crazy like this could happen the day that he was. The day. He struck out eighteen batters. His curveball was electric now Ben sheets if you don’t know it was kind of a high fastball. Big curveball guy kind of your classic. Our house kind of pitcher ninety five plus high in the zone, then he’d break off a curveball twelve to six and it dropped three feet. Yeah. Day. His curveball was amazing that the side in the ninth similarities between Kerry wooden bench sheets. Are there’s quite a few. I mean, that’s very similar to carry would accept as more of a slider or slurp. You know, as I don’t even know what they you know, they change the names what they call a kind of a slider slave pitch was his his, you know, drop big stretch kind of thing. Yeah. Yeah. So so similar and then of course, incredible fastball. So very similar pitchers in that way. Very in a lot of ways. Yeah. And I think very. N and obviously with the resulting strikeouts. Both their performances were not only really the command there. But also the movement. Was just especially extreme with both both cases in those performances. Yeah. The four seamer was rising for sheets that day, and you compare it with the arm slot being similar for the curve ball, and the way it just dropped off the table. It was you can go back on YouTube. I believe in watch both of these games in their entirety. If you’ve got a ran out and Wrigley and you’re sitting at home with the day off. And you’re depressed throw this on. You’ll have a great day. If you haven’t seen it before it’s going to be awesome. You’re gonna love it. I know I’ve done that before with the Ben she’s eighteen strike oh game. It’s been a couple of years. But I went back and just watch the highlights, and it was kind of cool too. Because I got a little bit of a throwback because the two thousand four highlights it was a Sunday afternoon game. So Chris Berman of all people was doing the ESPN highlights. It’s like that’s back when he SPN cared about baseball. And he’s out there with all the nicknames for everybody. And it was kind of a kind of a cool throwback to see. They’re just to talk briefly that was probably the best career that was probably his career year Ben sheets. Unfortunately for the Bruce ended up sixty seven and ninety four. So he ended up eighth in the Cy Young voting with a two point seven zero ERA five complete games. You don’t see that much anymore? He only won twelve games. He was twelve and fourteen because that team was sixty seven and ninety four. So yeah, how the overall numbers looked but another I think he started the all star game that season through couple innings had three strikeouts. Ben sheets was a lot of fun to watch. I it was really it was really sad. He ended up having some some elbow issues. And basically his career was ended by a flexible tended. It turns out he ended up pitching for the Braves for his last few starts. So that’s kind of. Yeah. Well in Kerry wood. I mean, really in some ways is. Rookie year was one of his best. He did win rookie of the year. I mean you talking about, you know, looking at this this kid in like, wow. This is you know, he’s going to have an incredible career in. And unfortunately, I mean, he didn’t even play the next year in nineteen ninety nine he missed the entire year injured, and and then it it was kind of spotty from their two thousand three was a he had a good year. He actually had two hundred sixty six strikeouts that season which was led the majors that so that’s before he ended up in the bullpen. Then that was before. Yeah. He was still starting at that point. But yeah, he, you know, he ended up because of his his injury issues and his shoulder and arm and all that, you know, ended up making his way to the bullpen in two thousand eighty was the closer for the cubs. And he had thirty four saves. Made the all star that year.

00:10:02 – 00:15:04

So he kind of did have a little blip there later in his career as a closer couple years there. Okay. Well, then the both made the all star game than that two thousand eight season. Shia or appearances in the all star game, this kind of a neat tie sheets. Have it? You said to sixty six was woods. Best strikeout. Your. Yeah. Yeah. Two thousand three year was that too. Because in funny in four sheets strikes out to sixty four. Okay. So we talk about the peril. It’s so funny. The more we do this ninety miles podcast. The more refined these parallels running between the two ball clubs now. I’ll give it to carry woods game was more impressive. I mean, it’s a one hitter. If I’m not mistaken, you did say that that one hit could have been ruled in air that would have been. Yeah. I mean, you know, it was a it was a, you know, a ground ball. And and it was Kevin ori- was playing third base, and he kinda ranged ranged over to his left, and it did kind of bounce off of his glove. His glove did touch the ball. And it it was sort of like he didn’t take a fast step. It’s it’s hard to say some some say that he should maybe got that one. But if of course, if that was ruled and air, then yeah, it would have been a no hitter. But well or or at changes. History a little bit in the sense that now carry would is like holy cow is getting even that much more excited about it because it’s not a no hitter anymore because it wasn’t a no hitter. Did he end up with more strikeouts? Because he was relaxed its. Interesting because he didn’t you know? And I’ve been meaning to mention this too. Especially cubs fans. If you haven’t watched it yet, you should there’s this. It’s actually on the Chicago Cubs YouTube channel there is. And I think it just came out. Yeah. Just it was just put out in September. So it’s it’s fairly recent. But it it’s a really cool. Look at this specific game. It’s called twenty the history behind Kerry Wood’s twenty strikeout gaming find on the Chicago Cubs to channel. And. Yeah, great documenting. And. Yeah. And he, you know, there’s more recent interviews with interview with Kerry wood, you know, talking about it. And he was not aware that how many strikeouts. He had. He wasn’t. He he had a lot of control issues early. You know, even in the minors in that and the and the big thing was he’d he was walking walk. Being a lot of batters. And so, you know, at the end, there’s the famous fist pump. He does. And he says that he actually the fist bump wasn’t because of the strikeouts. It was because he pitched a complete game. Didn’t walk a batter he had no walks entire game. And that’s what he was actually most excited about he had no idea he had twenty strikeouts. But that’s very cool. Yeah. So he joins a he joined a very elite group of pitchers with twenty strikeouts. In a nine inning game. It’s only been done from what I’m seeing here, and I’m using a wicked pedia site here. So if it’s wrong, you know, blame what Kapiti, but oh, I see two games. Games from Roger Clemens. Yes. Ten years apart from each other. And I see max shurer back in twenty sixteen and then carry would and those that’s the four that I see for nine inning games tonight any game barring hind that. Yeah. A couple of others. That’s key twenty one. But it wasn’t. It was not nine innings for the twenty rice Drako. We’re really talking about an elite few guys both both sheets and would are in this category. I think there’s only about sixteen seventeen guys that have done eighteen or more. I’m I’m just kind of. I should have counted them before we recorded, but it’s a very short list. Yeah. Definitely. And you know, Kerry wood at the time that he did that he was the really only the second person. To do that with Roger Clemens having done it twice prior. That’s right. That’s and joins us club. Now. Roger clements. You know when he did it. I mean, he he was Roger Clemens. I mean, it wa-, you know, he did in April twenty ninth nineteen eighty six and September eighteenth nineteen Ninety-six you know in carriers. The other thing that people I don’t think realized Kerry wood was twenty years old. I mean, he was he was kid. K he was a kid. He was twenty and he’s matching Roger Clements in his fifth major league start against the Houston Astros. Who by the way, they were that season and a hundred and two and sixty team that finished first in that central.

00:15:04 – 00:19:47

They they lost in the division series to the Padres. But I mean, the extremely good team especially that lineup with the bees in there. Like, I mentioned so that that’s. Where I think I put the weight, you know, sure wasn’t a perfect game. It wasn’t even a no hitter. But given the fact that he was twenty years old and his fifth major league start against an extremely good offensive team. I just think it it’s got to be one of the most impressive pitching performances in baseball history. And that’s what we’re here to talk about is stuff. Like that. Some of these things get overlooked outside of cubs and Bruce fans because you know, it’s not a no hitter. It’s not XYZ. These things are fantastic. And this is what’s great about the game. So that’s why we do the seventh inning stretch the stretch segment, and you’re going to see it at ninety miles podcast dot com. You probably already know that because you’re here listening to it. Right. Right. Yeah. But you know subscribe. If you get subscribed every time, we dropped one of these episodes to you’ll know it’ll be in the archives. We’re going to have it eventually set up here. So it’s easy to kinda separate the two. We aren’t quite there yet because this. Is the first time we’re doing it this way. Yeah. Remembers stay with us every week throughout the season. Because we’re going to be doing regular regular podcasts every week on the cubs and the brewers strictly focused on them and the National League central. This is what we’re here to do. It’s fun. We’re going to drop one of those every week. Then every time the cubs and brewers have a series. We’re gonna try and do a wrap up. So it’s not gonna work out every time, but we plan to do it most of the time. So this is the kind of thing we’re here to talk about Ben sheets. Eighteen strikeouts. Carry would twenty strikeouts documentary, Kerry, wood, performance, that’s awesome. You can go watch the Ben sheets performance, it’s on YouTube somewhere. This is the fun part. You know, we’re were amateurs, but we like the stuff so much that we want to bring it to the public. I little bit more stay with. We’re doing we’re doing a topic idea. Let us know. But we’re we’re just fans baseball. We’re just, you know, just like like we mentioned. For you know, he got flipping over baseball cards can the stats and saying oh that school. Oh, well, oh, I didn’t know that. Okay. You know? That’s great. I mean, we’re not historians. But, but yeah, we just, you know, don’t expect, you know, this isn’t thirty thirty. You know, we’re not gonna get most of the time sometimes in our blog posts, maybe we will. But once in a while when there’s a really great thing we wanna cover we’ll do that in the off season. This is our main plan is to have, you know, a few of these episodes every month, and that’s kind of how we’re going to stick it out through the dark times when there’s nothing but football on so. Yeah. So too. Yeah. Yeah. And we’ll on the website. In fact, we’ll probably maybe linked these out, but you know, pull up these games both the box scores. Take a look watch them on watch the games or or at least the highlights. And and I also mentioned you know, that documentary twenty the history behind Kerry Wood’s twenty strikeout game on the Chicago Cubs YouTube channel, which. Is is fantastic. There’s a lot of good good stuff on there. But but yeah, it’s you know, it’s a it’s a forty five minute documentary. It’s it’s fantastic. Lot of interviews with more modern interviews reflecting back on that game. So check that out and yet carry would bench sheets. Yeah. Couple unique in ends very in some ways very similar pitchers for the two ninety miles clubs there. So yeah. Interesting stuff, Ben sheets, one of my favorite brew pitchers of all time injury history, or no he was fun to watch every time. He went out there. And I’m sure yeah. A lot of the same thing for carry would there’s a little bit of bitter sweetness with both of these guys. You know, what could what could have been? What could a band, but we did get we did get these stories out of them. And that’s you know, that’s amazing. So yeah. Well, I think that pretty much wraps it up for. Yeah. This episode of the non-euro seventh-inning stretcher stretch episode. So I don’t think we’re gonna end it with cubs suckers suck because this is kind of fun. I mean the ad. No. We can be right to say Cup suck after this. Yeah. I mean could bench she’s worse than Kerry Wood’s. So there, you know. Yeah. Yeah. All right. It’s just good to be a fan. Yes. You next time. Yup. Catching next time.

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