Major League Baseball pitcher Alex Wood of Charlotte, North Carolina retired on Friday at the age of 34 according to Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors. Wood suffered from rotator cuff tendinitis while pitching for the Oakland Athletics during the 2024 Major League Baseball season and had season ending shoulder surgery just over two months later. He has not pitched during the 2025 MLB season.
Who did Wood pitch for?
Wood pitched for five MLB teams. He began with the Atlanta Braves for three seasons from 2013 to 2015. Wood was then with the Los Angeles Dodgers for five seasons in two different stints. He was with the Dodgers for four seasons from 2015 to 2018, and then again for one season in 2020. Wood then pitched one season with the Cincinnati Reds in 2019, two seasons with the San Francisco Giants from 2022 to 2023, and one season with the Athletics in 2024.
Wood’s career MLB statistics
Wood pitched in 278 games and had a record of 77 wins and 68 losses with an earned run average of 3.78. During 1258 innings pitched, he gave up 1211 hits, 529 earned runs. 127 home runs, and 374 walks, to go along with 1173 strikeouts, one complete game, seven holds, 92 quality starts, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.26.
Wood’s Complete Game
Wood pitched a complete game in only his fourth start of the 2014 Major League Baseball season. However, even though he pitched a complete game on April 17, 2014, Wood had the loss as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 1-0. Wood threw eight innings for the Braves and gave up eight hits, one earned run, and one walk, to go along with seven strikeouts. He threw 103 pitches of which 72 pitches were strikes. Ironically, in Wood’s next outing on April 22, 2014, Wood also threw eight innings for the Braves and gave up one earned run. Once again, Atlanta lost by a score of 1-0. This time the Braves were beaten by the Miami Marlins.
Wood’s MLB All-Star Season
Wood sparkled for the Dodgers in 2017. He was a National League All-Star and had a record of 16 wins and three losses for an earned run average of 2.72. Wood’s winning percentage of .842 in 2017 led Major League Baseball. In 152 1/3 innings pitched, Wood gave up 123 hits, 46 earned runs, 15 home runs and 38 walks, to go along with 151 strikeouts, 15 quality starts and a WHIP of 1.06.
World Series Champion
Wood was on the Dodgers team that won the 2020 World Series. In 6 2/3 innings pitched in the 2020 postseason, Wood only gave up one earned run in relief for an earned run average of 1.35.
