Travis Wood goes yard in fourth inning of Cubs 5-2 win in Game 2 of National League Division Series
Travis Wood put his name in the record books Saturday night in Game 2 of the NLDS. Wood was called on with two outs in the top of the fourth when Kyle Hendricks was forced to leave the game after taking a line drive to his right forearm. Wood closed out the fourth inning, maintaining the Cubs 4-2 lead.
With the pitcher’s spot due up second in the bottom of the fourth, Joe Maddon said that was one of the reasons he went to Wood instead of one of his other seven relievers. Wood batted for himself with one down.
Wood launched the first pitch from Giants’ reliever George Kontos. And the ball ended up in the bleachers in left.
Travis Wood hit his first home run since July 25, 2014.
Wood joined Rick Sutcliffe (1984) and Kerry Wood (2003) as the only three pitchers in Cubs history to hit a home run in a postseason game.
Travis Wood became the first relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, and the second in baseball history, to hit a home run in a postseason game since Rosy Ryan of the New York Giants in the 1924 World Series. According to ESPN Chicago, relief pitchers were 66-for-495 with one home run all-time in postseason history.
Travis Wood and Kyle Hendricks drove in three of the Cubs’ five runs and became the fifth team in postseason history to have multiple pitchers with a RBI in a single-game.
Dexter Fowler joked after the game that Travis Wood will never let his teammates live the home run down.