- Category:
- Richest Athletes › Baseball Players
- Net Worth:
- $40 Million
- Birthdate:
- Jun 16, 1977 (47 years old)
- Birthplace:
- Irving
- Gender:
- Male
- Height:
- 6 ft 4 in (1.9558 m)
- Profession:
- Baseball player
- Nationality:
- United States of America
What is Kerry Wood's Net Worth?
Kerry Wood is a retired American baseball player who has a net worth of $40 million. Kerry Wood played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. As a 20-year-old rookie, he struck out 20 batters in a one-hit shutout against the Houston Astros, which some consider one of the greatest pitching performances in baseball history.
Early Life
Kerry Lee Wood was born on June 16, 1977, in Irving, Texas. He attended MacArthur High School where he played baseball for three years before continuing his education at Grand Prairie High School and playing his final season of high school baseball. He originally committed to play college baseball at McLennan Community College in Waco when he was drafted as the fourth overall selection in the 1995 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs.
MLB Career
Kerry Wood spent the first three years of his professional career in the minor leagues where in 1996 he posted a 10-2 record for the Daytona Cubs. He made his big league debut in April 1998 and burst onto the scene. He was just a 20-year old rookie when he completed 20 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout against the Houston Astros in 1998. According to some, Wood's feat may be the greatest single-game pitching performance in MLB history. Thus, he became co-holder of the MLB record for strikeouts in a single game (20) and got the nickname Kid K. The same year, Wood was also named the 1998 National League Rookie of the Year. He would go on to record over 200 strikeouts in 4 out of his initial 5 seasons. Furthermore, he broke several MLB strikeout records and was twice named an All-Star (2003, 2008) despite being injured several times throughout his career, including missing the entire 1999 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. He went on to play for the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees before returning for a second stint with the Cubs. After fourteen years of professional baseball play, Wood retired on May 18, 2012.
For his career, Wood posted an 86-75 record and a 3.67 ERA to go along with 1,582 strikeouts and 63 saves. He was the fastest player in history to reach 1,000 strikeouts in appearances at 134, and the fastest to reach 1,000 strikeouts in history in innings pitched at 853.
Getty Images
Contracts & Career Earnings
Wood signed a three-year, $32.5 million extension with the Chicago Cubs in 2004. In December 2008, he inked a two-year deal worth $20.5 million with the Cleveland Indians. In 2012, he signed a one-year contract with the Cubs for $3 million in what would be his final season playing baseball.
Over the course of his MLB career, Kerry Wood earned $76.8 million in salary alone.
Personal Life
Kerry Wood is married to Sarah Pates, and the couple has a son, Justin, and two daughters, Katie and Charlotte, together. The family resided in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago up until 2008.
While playing for the Cubs, Wood hosted Kerry Wood's Strike Zone, a celebrity bowling tournament which featured a silent auction that raised over $2 million for charity.
Real Estate
In 2015 Kerry and his wife paid $4.23 million for a home in Winnetka, Illinois. They listed the 11,000 square foot home for sale in July 2019 for $4.39 million.
In 2017 the Woods sold a 9,000 square foot mansion situated on 102 feet of lake frontage on Geneva Lake, Wisconsin for $4.75 million. They sold this property in September 2019 for $4.599 million.
