Chicago Cub's Kerry Wood gets warm reception even though he concedes run against Milwaukee Brewers
In what seemed to be a homecoming debut for the veteran, Kerry Wood made his first unofficial appearance for the Chicago Cubs after spending two seasons away from his beloved team. He spent the last two years with the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees. The player has been training hard for the Cubs in Mesa, Arizona as the Major League Baseball (MLB) season is fast approaching. The veteran relief pitcher made his return to field duty on Monday as he faced the Milwaukee Brewers in Spring Training.
The match however didn’t go too well for the player as he lost most of his focus against the National League Central rivals. The pitcher walked on to the mound with the crowd cheering him on. Though the moment was to be cherished, Wood was more worried about his fastballs.
"It was nice to get out there and get the first one out of the way," Wood said. "The fan response was great."
Kerry made his way to the mound in the sixth inning to face the Brewers batter Luis Cruz on the plate. The hitter managed to single off Wood’s delivery immediately. He then went up to second base after a wild pitch. Wood finally conceded a run when Brewer prospect, Caleb Gindl, smashed a triple in the field and allowed Cruz to run through for the score.
Nevertheless, Wood came out of the game reflecting on his lessons in the encounter. He pitched too many fastballs. However his breaking balls worked wonders. The standing ovation by the crowd was definitely appreciated.
"[Coming back] never was about trying to get a reception, it was more about being home," said Wood, who has made Chicago his offseason home. "It's better than getting booed off the field when you come off."
Cubs’ manager Mike Quade, was pleased to see Wood active.
"Everybody appreciates who he is and how loyal he's been in coming back," Quade said. "I'd like to see that breaking ball all year. Nice to have you back, but it's going to be a lot more than that if he helps us get the ball to [Carlos] Marmol, which I think he's going to."
He also termed Wood's breaking ball, devastating, and openly declared the desire to see the reliever come up in the games before Carlos Marmol closes for the club.
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