Chicago Heat: Mark Prior and Kerry Wood’s Season of Dominance 

Kerry Wood was so much fun to watch. Wish he was able to stay healthy

Mark Prior could've genuinely been a hall of famer if his career wasn't cut short by injury.

The 2003 Cubs will always have a special place in my heart

Fun fact when my parents lived on the north side they went to a double header with wood and prior and they made a sign that said throwing fire with wood and prior and they got on Tv the cubs lost both games but pretty cool

Maybe a video on Todd Frazier and his decline with age would be interesting

Wood was the Stephen Strasburg of his era. Great pitcher just decimated by injury

Kerry signed a Jersey for me when I was a Kid. He always went to sign autographs and was known for being an all round good dude

I turned 11 in summer of 2000 and it was my first season of really watching baseball. The early 00s were fucking awesome even with the juice. I went to games that had like 5 HoF players in them at given times and saw Kerry Wood pitch at least 3 different times in Chi and Stl. Nuts to look back on how lucky I was!

2003 NLCS almost broke me as person lbvs. Very fun season but thankfully 2016 happened💙❤

my first cubs game ever was a 2003 prior start at wrigley against the reds. he was def my first favorite player.

In hindsight it was Mark Prior's scap loading that ended his career. His perfect mechanics allowed him to load his scaps in such a way that he gained more velocity but it put tons more stress on his body. Loved watching him pitch.

Thanks a lot Dusty baker

We’ve gotta get this man more subscribers. The videos are always awesome.

This was my favorite year ever watching baseball. I love the 2003 Cubs!

Damn Dusty Baker these two should have been having hitters quake in fear for years to come I'm glad Prior got his world series ring as LA's pitching coach because god damn did he earn it

Loving your content dude, keep rockin the interesting topics and appreciation for data

Prior in the second half of '03 was so dominant that I felt completely secure in the notion that the Cubs would win every game when he was on the mound. The only Cubs player to match that kind of dominance was Arrieta in '15. Wood was really coming into his own in '03 as well, and Zambrano was also turning into an ace. If Wood and Prior had stayed healthy the Cubs would have been the next '90's Braves. It's just tragic what happened to those two. As much as I love the 2016 team, I really really really loved that '03 team. Kerry Wood might be my favorite Cub ever honestly. Btw, I have never blamed Baker for their issues. Throughout most of baseball history starting pitchers have pitched an insane number of innings and plenty of those players stayed healthy. Also, a managers job is to try and win games and Prior and Wood were the best bet for that team to win games. They never would have won the division if Baker didn't ride his two horses.

Love your videos dude! Thank you!

"imagine not making the playoffs in nearly four decades" The Mariners: ಥ‿ಥ

Great video!

Great video. I remember watching this all go down. Im old enough to see careers start and end. Hell, players I watched are now getting into the HOF lol. As a Giants fan I feel that Jason Schmidt doesn’t get enough love.

Thanks for the nostalgia! I went to the double header where the Cubs clinched the division in '03, and it was an unforgettable experience. Everyone was watching the scoreboard near the start of game 2 to see if the Astros lost, and the crowd would erupt seemingly at random whenever a goose egg was put up. Good times.

I was late this time but, I like to wait for greatness, and it was worth the wait!

GOD TIER video, concise and sharp

This was a great vid! People forget how starting pitchers can and historically often were overused.

I remember Prior colliding with a second baseman, Marcus Giles coming forward to field aground ball. Mark did a flip and landed on his right shoulder and was out for an extended time. I think that was the beginning of the end as the next spring training he was injured and things were never the same.

This was great content

"Not infront of my eyes, I was a toddler..." I felt old real quick haha

So grateful I got to watch these years and then see them win the WS in my lifetime.

You should do your next video on the best players without a ring or something along those lines, been trying to get ppl to do a video on this for a while now hahah it’s not like there isn’t any 😅😅😅

I’m a Cubs fan for life, but, the Cubs only 2 notable players from the early 2000’s are Sammy Sosa and Kerry Wood, but I wouldn’t know I’m too young to remember the early 2000s Cubs

Glad you still mentioned Clement and Zombrano

I forgot Astro’s were in NL. Lol

You should do one on Jason Bay...that guy crashed and burned in NY after being very solid.

The documentary on Kerry’s 20 strikeout game is so good I’ve watched it a bunch of times fantastic way to spend a hour or ao

Another amazing feat is that in 2021 averaging a 94.3 mph fastball would only rank you 56th in all of baseball in average starter velocity. That was ranked 1 in this video.

That Cubs lineup was so good at the time, I don’t know how they didn’t even make the World Series then

Javi Vazquez was so underrated

The Cubs also had a really good team in 2001. This was Sosa's best year as well, and in my opinion, the best Cubs team of the Sosa era. But the Cubs started playing meh till the end, and the Cardinals and Astros both got in. Tough division

Poor guys. Had Prior and Wood won the 2003 NLCS and eventually the World Series, who knows how they would've been afterwards? But in the end, their health is what matters. Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, I am truly sorry for all the suffering - physical and emotional - that you all went through! You still remain fantastic heroes to all of us Cubs fans!

Gosh my elbow hurts now after watching this.

That was a fun season, ending badly, but there are some really great memories. The fan base had exploded by 2003, following a 1998 that came out of nowhere. You started seeing people wearing Cubs shit everywhere.....and outside of myself, I rarely saw anyone in a Cubs hat, and I lived IN CHICAGO. Of course there were plenty of Cubs fans, but I think most were closeted, tired of hearing the “lovable losers” bit, or hearing from White Sox fans who are the consummate, chip on their shoulder little brother type. They HATE the Cubs. Literally despise the Cubs and their fans. I’m a Cubs fan, but a baseball fan too. I never rooted against the Sox, and was happy for them when they won the WS. Just really different fam bases and perspectives. I didn’t watch the last game of the 03’ NLCS. I had an anatomy final the following day, so I tivo’d it, and headed to the cadaver lab to study. I just felt like, “Do well on your test, and then enjoy the World Series......THOSE are the games you want to see live anyways.” Coming off of Bartman and Alex Gonzalez, seemed like sound logic. We fielded some pretty good teams in the years to come. The Cubs really started spending money, realizing that a packed house at every game, and merchandise sales from tons of fans.....was actually profitable. We could never perform come playoff time though. What can I say? I wouldn’t have it all any other way, because the 2016 World Series was just fucking bonkers. A surreal moment, and it was perfect. OF COURSE it went to extra innings in game 7. I, along with millions of other fans, were practically shitting our pants the entire game.

Hi notis on

As a lifelong Cubs fan I've heard every reason or excuse as to why Wood and Prior were injured, but I will forever blame Dusty Baker. You trot a pitcher out and have him throw 120+ pitches every time he's out there, something bad is gonna happen eventually. Guys like Wood and Prior are investments and you have to protect your investments

Oddly enough the best pitching performance of that entire NLCS was Game 5. The Marlins, down 3-1 gave the ball to their ace-in-training, Josh Beckett and he absolutely dominated the Cubs throwing a two hit shutout just to force the infamous Game 6.

I remember in 01 when the cubs collapsed the second half as usual then 03 after the aramis Ramirez, kenny lofton trade I knew they were destined to go far. And then the heart break came smh lol

I miss the days where pitchers would throw 120 in a game. I hate how starters go like 5 innings and 80 pitches.

They may have been overworked, but I know at least Prior was never going to make it. Despite being touted as having “perfect mechanics” his throwing mechanics were actually severely flawed. He was always going to end up putting a ton of strain on his elbow, whether he was throwing 80 pitches a start or 110.

10:00 says ER instead of hits Edit: When it says 8 ER

Do a video on Jason Schmidt

Why is Wood's 20 K game "infamous" ? Bill James regards it as the most perfect pitching performance ever, I'd say that's pretty famous.

Of course Prior never told his manage he wanted to come out. THAT IS THE MANAGER'S JOB. In the '90s and early 2000s there were several managers - who had played in the '70s, when guys like Seaver, Ryan, Carlton, and the great Wilbur Wood were tossing 300+ innings. When they became managers, they forgot that Seaver and Ryan were freaks of nature, Carlton had the most ridiculous conditioning routine ever (and was a freak of nature), and Wood (as well as the Niekro brothers) was a knuckleballer. They also critically forgot that back in the day the last 1/3 of the lineup was three gimmes. You might face Doug Flynn, Bud Harrelson, and Felix Millan - PLUS THE PITCHER, AND HIS NAME AIN'T OHTANI - on the same night. Pitchers in Baker's (and Felipe Alou's) day could coast half the time. By the turn of the century you had to bear down against everybody except the pitcher - and if he was Carlos Zambrano or Dontrelle Willis, even he was a threat. So you had guys throwing 130+ pitches, every one harder than the last, in their early 20s. And that gives us the sad ends to careers like Mark Prior, Kerry Wood... and another name from the 2003 top K list, Jason Schmidt.

I was at Mark Prior's first start.

Go Cubs

People love blaming dusty baker and it’s bullshit there wasn’t a emphasis on pitch counts back in 03 any other manager would have done the same thing yeah it’s sad that prior basically became Steve Avery in the fact that his arm practically fell off

What is "infamous" about Wood's 20 K game?

I remember that 2003 season it would’ve of been perfect if the Cubs went to WS & won it .

Still can't get over how stacked the 2003 braves were. Lineup was so good that vinny castilla was the worst hitter.

Why does it say 8 ER and 2 ER at 10:02

8:00 Me: Sees Oliver Perez took the loss How long has that man been in the big leagues and how in the hell is he staying this long?!

10:01 what was the 8 ER supposed to say?

Narrated by Tony Hinchcliffe?

5:11 shows Sammy sosa in 1990 lol

what surprised me about the 2003 NLCS collapse was how Prior and Wood just couldnt close the Marlins down. Come on

A total shame what happened to these 2 talented pitchers arms

I blame Dust Baker entirely on the Nlcs demise for his over use and eventual injuries of Kerry and Mark GUy was too stubborn and old schooled I think to realize hey maybe they're tired.

2004 both pitchers were above average, and in 2005 prior was above average according to era+

What is sad is cubs management ruined those 2 pitches

How about Kerry Wood hitting 2 HRs in his rookie season!

infamous doesnt mean what u think it means

Theres only 1 mad dog

I hate Dusty Baker for ruining them. Especially Mark Prior. As a fan of prospects and not the Cubs, Prior was one of my all time favorites to watch. And Dusty blew out his arm by age 25. Can't believe that moron has continued to get GOOD jobs as MLB manager to this day

Dude, that's not how you say Chicago. The Chi- is not said with a hard c like in tai chi, its more of a Sha- sound as in shaw. Sha-caw-go, Ill-i-noy.

Woods arm was destroyed

Why did you have to expose Cubs fans like that

Holy shit I forgot how terrible the early 2000s Brewers were

He said CHicago

They're careers being shortened os absolutely dusty bakers fault no pitcher should ever be reaching 120 plus pitches that's absurd even for the era they pitched in

"Best pitching duo in the league" LOL...... They couldn't gargle Johnson & Schillings balls.

Steve Bartman was more dominant.

Twins didn’t take Prior because they couldn’t afford him

Man seeing those pitch count numbers make you cringe now a days.

Thats terrible to many pitches buy young arms

Dusty baker ruined these guys careers. So much potential to be used and abused.

Jim rigglemen ruined kerry wood

Mark Prior who gives a shit. What, one good season. So did Alan Benes. Where is his litany of youtube videos

It’s all black

Gosh my elbow hurts now after watching this.