Was Cubs Rookie Kerry Wood's 20 Strikeout Performance the Greatest in Baseball History? 

Matt casually hitting me with the black ops 1 nostalgia vibes

Clayton Kershaw is a Hanley Ramirez error away from having the greatest game ever pitched, but I think this Kerry Wood game is for sure the best

Woody, in his 5th start ever, baffled one of the best line-ups ever assembled by the Astros so completely that on his last pitch of the game, everyone in the building knew what was coming. "Here comes the hook!" And Derek Bell, batting an incredible .403 coming into the game, still missed it by a country mile. Woody's performance in this game was not only one of the best in baseball history, but in my opinion, one of the best single performances in sports history.

May 6, 1998 listened to the whole game at the office while working at my first post-college job. I will never forget it. His 90 mph slurve at the time was unhitable and physically illegal and soon led him to the disabled list.

That Black Ops 1 music

Yes. Yes it was. Only eight balls were put into play that day. No other 20k game, no hitter, or even perfect game can say that

Hey, I hope your surgery goes well and gonna miss you narrating for a bit. Best of luck man!

i watched this one on TV as a kid. It was just so crazy. Of course I didn't realize the enormity of the feat back then, but it sure was magical. I think another odd observation of this pitching is he made so, so many pitches look hittable. And he wasn't bluffing at all because he was painting strikes at will. So it was the absolute nightmare for a hitter of screwed if you do, screwed if you don't. On top of that advantage, he remembered what pitch each hitter was weak against. And he just capitalized. And made it look easy. Hell of an outing. Thank you Kerry Wood.

I watched this on WGN while I was in the hospital with pneumonia with a nurse who was a huge Cubs fan. He clocked out about the 5th inning, and came back in my room to watch the rest of the game. Both of us being massive baseball nerds, we knew we were watching something truly special. It's a great memory for me, even though the circumstance was awful. I was so ill that I couldn't even yell like I wanted. What a performance.

The Chicago Cubs RU-vid channel has an excellent video covering this game. It would be a great companion piece to this video.

If you guys have time I recommend watching the Kerry wood documentary that the cubs made it goes more in depth of the game specifically with appearances from the players and talks about how the K signs in the outfield came to be

I remember watching that game on WGN. Wood's stuff was electric. Ball was zigzagging all over the strike zone. Never saw such ball movement before. It was pretty amazing.

some of the nastiest pitches i've ever seen. Its like he was possessed.

Good luck with recovery from the procedure! Been a pleasure watching your progression content wise and looking forward to more in the future

I’d just moved from Chicago to Reno and got my direct-TV dish installed the day before this game. I was off of work at 11:00am and home watching the game shorty after. What a special day.

As a Mets fan, I 1000% would like to see a video on the Wilpon error (did that on purpose) as we wait for Steve Cohen and his beautiful money to join the fold. Thanks for the great content as always man and good luck with surgery and the recovery!

This is an amazing video. I wish I could have seen this game, being born about 2 months after, and Kerry Wood being my favorite pitcher ever. Gave me chills from the start.

I’m still partial to Pedro VS NYY September of 99. Which I was fortunate enough to see in person. Thanks for all the great content recently. Good luck with your survey and let’s hope for a quick recovery.

Another fantastic video wow, and on top of that it was really cool to see my comment from your mind-blowing sox video made it onto this one! Keep doing what you’re doing man there are TONS of people who love your content

Nothing but quality from this channel, as always. I enjoy your content and wish you a speedy recovery!

As a Yankee fan this channel has drawn my interest towards the Mets like I could never expect, whenever they’re brought up I’m always fascinated and I wanna say thank you for all the entertainment and information you’ve brought me. Hope your surgery and recovery goes well too.

I’m a cubs fan, and remember hearing this game on the radio. One other remarkable thing about this game is that Wood’s battery-mate, Sandy Martinez, was the Cubs THIRD STRING catcher, behind Scott Servais, and Tyler Houston!

If it’s not the greatest it’s up there for sure. The movement he had put on the ball that day was insane..vertical and lateral movement that just makes your jaw drop.

This guy needs more subscribers ,but I like the family we have and we work great together thank you for great vids

Very well presented my friend, hope this blows up

Have a good recovery

Even getting 10ks against a lineup like that would be incredible. 20 is just incomprehensible. Were in the Strikeout era of baseball and I even doubt we ll see something like this again. Kinda hope we do though. To see that kind of dominance even for a game is just a Gem to watch

Matt, thank you so much and get well soon. Really looking forward to the Wilpons video.

Hey bro wishing you the best for surgery. I'm new to the channel, but it's really helped me get back into baseball. Thanks for the entertainment, can't wait to have you back.

Love the cub’s documentary on this

Great stuff! Looking forward to the Wilpon video

There are a lot of incredible pitcher games throughout baseball history. As a Twins fan, my personal favorite would be the 1991 World Series game 7 pitching duel between Jack Morris and John Smoltz where both starting pitchers combined for 19 innings and 0 runs through 10.

That tough Astros lineup didn't know where to swing, look, move or breathe. Kerry Wood totally dominated them.

There is something so enjoyable and utterly satisfying how Matt gracefully combines understandable baseball analytics, pure passion for the game and a smidge of good ol’ Metsy humor into something special that I cannot resist time and time again. Thank you for your service to my and many others’ dopamine levels, Matt. I assure you it is much appreciated!

A life long cubs fan. I was lucky to be there that game to see greatness. And yes it’s the greatest pitching performance ever.

I am a huge Cubs fan . I remember reading the spring Sporting News about Kerry. I told all my friends, Kerry is going to be the next big pitcher. When this happened, I felt like Nostradamus.

This is the second video I've seen on the Kerry Wood Game. And it did it justice. Since I'm out of the country now, and internet was not like it is now, baseball wasn't a priority for a couple decades. But something about that game. Good luck with your surgery, I know what it's like to have to take down time.

Best of luck mate. Thank you for your videos.

Oh man, a Mets/Wilpon documentary? Dude, absolutely take your time, I am so ready to be wowed again.

You're doing great work and I wish you the best on your surgery.

Wishi you the best! Hope all goes well! And the Wilpon vid sounds like a great idea

I remember this game vividly. I was seated in my dad’s office, doing homework, with the game on a little 13” tv. He just kept mowing them down. Prior to his first elbow surgery, Kerry’s slider seemed to dive almost two feet across the zone, and was the first time I remember a pitch being called a “power slurve”. That season was a special one as a Cubs fan. Not only was it the Kerry Wood performance and ROY, but it was the Sammy MVP year where he broke the record for hitting 20 home runs in a single calendar month. It wasn’t a great team, but it was enough for the Cubs to make the playoffs for the first time in nine years. I must have made it to nearly 20 home games that season. The Cubs bullpen would blow the lead, then Sammy would just hit another 3-run homer. It was nuts! So many good memories from that year.

Best baseball channel. Merci beaucoup 💙

As someone old enough to have watched the Astros play in the Astrodome, I remember this game all too well....

Nice video man!

Super down for the wilpon video. Good luck, can't wait for it.

Giraffeneckmarc would be amazing on the Wilpons video

I’ll be waiting for an hour long video Matt

I actually saw this game live on tv with my mom, by chance, we are not big baseball fans or anything, the channel simply fell there after some surfing, and we left it there. The broadcasters were amazing, slowly building up the magnitude of what Kerry Wood was accomplishing.

Who's doing chores in the house with this channel on? Totally relaxing. Fantastic content.

This is a terrific video but I do recommend watching the documentary on this historic performance, 50 minutes never felt shorter

lovin the music in the background

I remember watching that game and will never forget it.

Just amazing

Love that tine for pitchers. Wood Beckett and Sheets were fun to watch

Good Luck on your surgery. I hope it all goes well. 🤞🏻

Try and get the Mets dude from tik tok thats yells at his tv

There’s always been fireballers but Wood ushered in the era of modern fireballers that could hit 98+ every pitch. His shit was electric

Best of luck Matt! I will sure be ready when you can speak again.

As a Cubs fan I might be somewhat bias XD. But yeah it should be up there in the top 5 at least of best single game pitching performances of all time for sure.

Get well soon. I just discovered your channel and I'm really impressed, so I'll be waiting for the next one. Maybe you could do it Kanye style in a few weeks? Seriously though, take it easy for a minute. Rest can be just as productive as hard work.

Hey Matt I just want to say good luck on ur jaw surgery and awesome vid bro Also I'll watch the Mets for you when ur in recovery 👍🏻

At 8:15 you stated that Biggio was the only Houston hitter that didn’t strike out multiple times. Then you said “Go Jeff, woohoo”.

I love the use of the call of duty black ops 1 menu screen music throughout. 😊

I don't think I've ever seen, but I certainly would enjoy a scientific examination of how the weather that day affected the game. I was living in Chicago at the time, working outside the loop at Erie and Orleans, four miles south, and approximately the same distance inland from the lake. It was warmer than it might look if you judge it by crowd shots, the folks you see are just smart Chicagoans who knew to be prepared for anything. It was kinda cold that morning but warmed up a bit. Very, very humid, not much of a breeze as I remember. All productive work stopped in the newsroom and we were glued to the little TV. Wood's curveball was INSANE, as my ND said, it was dropping off the table.

3:15 Steve Stone raiding Cosby's closet.

We love you SRS take your time and heal well miss you 💗😊

that intro was sick

Wishing you the best!

- Struck out his age - Did it against a 102-win team with two HOFers in their prime - Came within a bad call of a no-hitter Ever as a Scherzer-worshipping Nats fan, I'd have to say yes.

Oh wow, that Black Ops menu menu brought back some feelings. Now, just need one with AC Brotherhood mulitplayer menu. :)

Kerry Wood is my favorite Cubs player of all time

Kerry was so cold in his prime..he owned the league like Pedro....i'm actually gonna get a Kerry Wood jersey now.

Those 1997 Bowman Kerry Wood Rookies were on 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

What makes this performance one of the best is that it was against a strong offense by rookie in one of his first starts.

7:49 he also scored the winning run in what turned out to be one of the craziest walk offs in MLB history on August 7, 2001 against the Rockies.

Im from Chicago and a Cub fan so Im biased, but his stuff in this game was like no stuff Id ever seen or seen since. The movement on his breaking pitches was ridiculous. I was in college at Northern Illinois University when this game was on and we used to drink a beer for every K that a Cubs pitcher threw. Needless to say, we were hammered by the 3rd and had to adjust the rules of the game. Even though Kerry Woods career didnt pan out, he is still in the top 5 of my all time favorite Cubs ever.

Hi, I hope your surgery goes well and wish you a speedy recovery. Also, could you get GiraffeNeckMarc to do the Mets video?

I was born in ‘93 and I remember this game like it was yesterday since I was “sick” from school. 3rd gen Cubs fan but I don’t think it would matter after watching Kid K carve up the offense of the year. He’s my favorite player all time and it ain’t even close. Kerry Wood for pres 😂😂😂

I threw 20 K’s in 1977 at 13 years old. Hit one batter in the ribs and picked him off first before the next pitch. Only seven innings in a Khoury League Midget game. At least in those days. Found the game ball in my mother’s house when we cleaned it out after her passing a few years ago.

I was in hospital with pneumonia when the nurse, a Cubs fan, put the game on since we shared a love of the game. I sat in my bed watching this, and the nurse, who was off shift by the 5th inning, sat in the chair next to me and watched this game. We knew we had witnessed something truly amazing that day. What a memory. To this day, I've never seen a pitcher with that much movement on his pitches that late into a game.

Remember that this was dead center in the middle of the steroid era too.

U are my favorite baseball channel

good luck with the surgery. great vid

The Maddox 78 pitch complete game is up there too. Hope you have. Speedy recovery

I watched woods 20k game live as a kid. It was amazing

I WAS THERE! 3rd row on the third base side. I bit my nails down to the nub. What a day!!!

I remember an interview somewhere about the Kerry Wood game where he said that once he did the fist pump at the end of the game he knew he tweaked something in his arm and it was the fist pump that did it, he apparently said something about how he had so much adrenaline going he didn't feel a thing until he got home that night, then he felt it.

I’m docking you 10 points for unreduced fractions and excessive significant figures.

Harvey Haddix, May 26, 1959, Pirates vs Milwaukee 12 2/3 perfect innings 8 K, 1 IBB, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER Game Score: 107 The Brewers had won the last two NL championships. The Brewers (excepting Hank Aaron) alleged stole signs throughout the game. I think this at least gives Kerry Wood's game a run for its money and really hoped it would get a mention in here. In fact, that only one other game was seriously considered was kinda disappointing. Nevertheless, it was a good breakdown of the Kerry Wood game.

Do a mini vid on the fan who printed 18ks in the crowd because he "just felt it in his bones Kerry was gonna have the best game he's ever seen."

The Kerry wood game is on my birthday

Met the guy and he’s very nice. His son use to play in the same park league as me

Biggio sent a bat to Kerry telling him on the bat the most dominant games ever pitched. Nuff said

Goddamnit, now I gotta play the original black ops now. Thanks for using "Pentagon" as a transition song. Lol

Get well soon man🤙

Before his move to reliever, he did have a super impressive playoff run in 03 as a starter, alongside Mark Prior and Carlos Zambrano. After giving up a 3 run homer to a young Miggy in the 1st, he came back with a monster homer of his own. If the Cubs hadn’t collapsed in epic fashion, we’d still be talking about the Kerry Wood HR.

2:34 that Enron sign is a throwback

13:04 im getting some Kanye "Through The Wire" Vibes 😂💯 get well soon bro

The black ops music just hit different