12 players you totally forgot were Yankees

By Ryan Morik | Apr 27, 2020

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 01: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Kevin Youkilis #36 of the New York Yankees in action against the Boston Red Sox during Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on April 1, 2013 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 8-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images /

Kerry Wood

Oh, what could have been for Kerry Wood.

Wood was a strikeout machine for a good portion of his career. He had some down seasons, but in his rookie year, he led all of baseball with a 12.6 K/9, and his 266 strikeouts were the most in baseball in 2003. He also led the majors with an 11.3 K/9 that year.

He’s also well-known for having a 20-strikeout performance. Unfortunately, he never quite became the ace that the Cubs hoped he would be, but he did have a pretty decent career. In 2007, he became a full-time reliever.

Wood, of course, is best known for his time with the Chicago Cubs. In 2010, he was traded from the Cleveland Indians (more news) to the Yankees, where he was actually dominant.

In his 24 appearances with the Yanks, he allowed two earned runs in 26 innings — that’s a 0.69 ERA! That postseason, he allowed two earned in eight innings pitched.

After his short stint, he returned to Chicago and retired as a Cub. But his No. 39 needs to be up in Monument Park (of course, No. 34 was taken by Yankee great A.J. Burnett).

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