Friday was Travis Wood Day in the state of Arkansas. Gov. Asa Hutchinson declared the one-day holiday during a celebration in Bryant, Ark., on Friday night to welcome the Cubs pitcher and World Series champion back to his hometown.
Wood rode on the front of a fire truck with his wife Brittany during a parade through the city, which is a suburb of Little Rock, Ark., and was then honored before Bryant's playoff football game against Springdale.
In an interview, Wood said he saw a lot of familiar faces and appreciated the support from the town.
Special guests at the event included family members of Arkansas native Hank Wyse, the last Cubs pitcher on the mound in the 1945 World Series. Wyse, born in Trumann, Ark., pitched the ninth inning of Game 7 at Wrigley Field and retired the side. But the Tigers won the game, 9-3, and the World Series. Wyse played six seasons with the Cubs, and was 22-10 in 1945 with a 2.68 ERA. He died in October 2000 at the age of 82.
The city of Bryant now has a "Travis Wood Way" in honor of the Cubs lefty.
Wood, 29, is a free agent, and was asked about what's next.
"I'll be playing baseball somewhere," he said, "just not sure where."