A former Cubs star pitcher showed on Saturday at Wrigley Field that he still has a trick up his sleave.
Kerry Wood — who first burst on to the MLB stage when he struck out 20 Astros batters at Wrigley Field as a Cubs rookie on May 6, 1998 — gave the hometown crowd another memorable moment on the mound.
Suiting up for the Savannah Bananas in their game at Wrigley Field, the 49-year-old Wood threw a trick pitch for the ages.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning, Wood came set, lifted his leg and went through what appeared to be his normal throwing motion.
But in a surprise twist, the baseball didn’t come out of his right hand at that moment. It was already well on its way after Wood had discreetly flipped it behind his back toward the plate in an expert sleight of hand.
The smooth-looking trick pitch floated over the plate for a strike as the stunned batter stood frozen for what turned out to be a strike right down the middle.
Though Wood did not quite meet the hype and early expectations after his impressive first big-league season in which he won the Rookie of the Year award, he still had a good 14-year career from 1998-2012, primarily with the Cubs.
The one-time flame-throwing right-hander also had short stints with Cleveland and the Yankees.
He posted an 86-75 record for his career with a 3.67 ERA and 1,582 strikeouts.
Former Cubs World Series winner David Ross — who played 15 MLB seasons, including two with the Cubs — also suited up for the Bananas on Saturday night.
Ross, a catcher, won two World Series rings, one in 2013 with the Red Sox to go along with the Cubs title in 2016 which snapped a 108-year drought for the one-time woebegone franchise.
