By Sarah Langs
17 years ago today, Kerry Wood made history at Wrigley Field. On May 6, 1998 in a day game against the Houston Astros, Wood struck out 20 batters en route to a shutout.
The 20 strikeouts were the most ever in a nine-inning game. Roger Clemens set the record on April 29, 1986, and sent 20 down again on September 18, 1996. Randy Johnson joined Clemens and Wood as the only pitchers to accomplish the feat on May 8, 2001. Technically, Johnson’s game wasn’t a nine-inning game, but Johnson pitched nine innings before yielding to the bullpen when the game went to extras.