"Smoky" Joe Wood

Unlike most professional baseball players, Joe Wood got his professional debut with the Bloomer Girls team in Kansas. Wood’s Major League debut was with Boston in 1908. In 1912, at the age of 22, he collected ten shutouts during his sixteen consecutive victories, tying an American League record. He also won three games in the 1912 World Series. Joe was quickly dubbed “Smoky” for the great balls of fire he threw from the mound. An injury in 1913 caused Joe excruciating pain in his shoulder and arm. He sat out the entire 1916 season in an attempt to nurse his arm back to health. After nine seasons as a pitcher, Joe made a short-lived but successful position switch to outfielder, where he would go on to finish his career for the Indians from 1918 to 1922. After retiring, Joe spent twenty years as head coach of the Yale University baseball team, compiling a career managing record of 283-228-1 in the process.