5/18 To retire or not, that’s the question

In a February interview for the Cubs Vineline publication, Kerry Wood was asked about how much longer he wants to pitch. Had he thought about retiring?

“No, I haven’t,” Wood said then. “At the end of the year, we’ll assess things. If you plan for it — ‘Oh, this is my last trip to so and so’ — that wouldn’t be a fun last season for me. I think it would be draining. It’s something I’d probably do at the end of a season.”

Wood turns 35 in June. On Friday, word leaked that he will announce his retirement after his next appearance.

“There’s definitely stretches every season — there were times when I was 23 and I wanted to retire,” he said in February. “That’s why I think it’s best to let the season be finished, be done for a month or so, let the body recover and see if you want to go through it again.”

– Carrie Muskat