February 24 Smoky Joe Wood sold by Red Sox
For one season, Smoky Joe Wood was the best pitcher in baseball, and the most feared. The right-hander whipped his lighting-quick knee-high fastball past opposing batters, winning 34 games in 1912 for the Red Sox. He won Games One and Four of the World Series, and came back to earn the victory in the final contest in relief. An arm injury ended his stellar career as a pitcher, and after a brief retirement, Wood returned to the majors with Cleveland as a hard-hitting outfielder, before entering the collegiate ranks as a successful head baseball coach for Yale.
