Baseball, a strikeout, and a little boy needing a hug

We often don’t get to determine how our final exit from our careers will go, so it was lump-in-the-throat time at Wrigley Field today when Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood announced his retirement, before making his final appearance in a game.

That game came this afternoon when Wood, who holds the single-game strikeout record, struck out the only batter he faced.

As he left the field, he was greeted at the top of the dugout steps by his son, Justin, with whom he’d shagged fly balls in the outfield before the game.