Workhorse White Sox knuckleballer Wood dies at 84

Wilbur Wood, who spent 17 seasons in the Majors from 1961-78, passed away Saturday at 84 years old, the White Sox announced.

Wood, a knuckleballer who developed into one of the best pitchers in baseball with the White Sox in the 1970s, truly embodied the meaning of chewing up innings. At his peak from 1971-75 with Chicago, Wood threw a whopping 1,681 2/3 innings, nearly 100 more than any other pitcher during that time and an average of 336 2/3 per season.

Wood combined incredible durability with run prevention at the height of his career. In 1971, Wood broke out in a career-best season, posting a 1.91 ERA and 11.7 WAR (per Baseball Reference) in 334 innings. The left-hander finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting and ninth in MVP voting, and was selected to his first All-Star Game.

Wood followed that up with a 2.51 ERA in 1972 in 376 2/3 innings, the most innings thrown by a starter in a single season in the Live Ball Era (since 1920). For his efforts, Wood was selected to his second straight All-Star Game and finished second in Cy Young Award voting and seventh in MVP voting.

The lefty kept it up with a 3.46 ERA in 359 1/3 innings in 1973, a 3.60 ERA in 320 1/3 innings in ‘74 and a 4.11 ERA in 291 1/3 innings in ‘75. In the Live Ball Era, Wood is one of 10 pitchers who have thrown 300 innings in four seasons or more.

In 2,684 career innings, Wood posted a 3.24 ERA with 164 wins and accumulated 52.1 WAR. He was a three-time All-Star and finished top five in Cy Young Award voting in three straight seasons from 1971-73.