Gage Wood bests all-time MLB record set by Kerry Wood with CWS gem
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Gage Wood just delivered the performance of his life, and it will go down as one of the best outings ever in college baseball history.
On Monday, Wood toed the mound for Arkansas in an elimination game at the College World Series, taking on Murray State. All Wood did was go out and throw a no-hitter, the first at the CWS since 1960, complete with 19 strikeouts, delivering one of the greatest moments in College World Series history.
The outing was historic for Wood in many ways. The 19 strikeouts are a CWS record for strikeouts in a 9-inning game, and it is just the 9th no-hitter overall in an NCAA Tournament game. There had only been 2 other no-hitters in CWS history.
However, the electric nature of Wood’s start is worth pondering: How would it stack up against some of the best outings in MLB history?
One way to examine the start is through the Game Score metric, a stat devised by sabermetrician Bill James used to gauge the overall performance by a starting pitcher. The formula is a bit complex but yields insightful results.
Game Score begins by giving each pitcher a baseline of 50 points. Each out a starter records adds 1 point, meaning each inning completed adds a total of 3 points. Each strikeout adds an additional point, and every inning completed after the 4th inning of the game adds 2 points. Pitchers lose points for hits, walks, earned runs allowed and unearned runs allowed. (The full formula for Game Score can be found at MLB.com.)
For example, a pitcher who finishes with a 9-inning perfect game would net a minimum of 87 points. That is 50 points to start with, plus 27 points for every out, plus 10 more points for 5 innings completed after the 4th inning.
Using that formula, Gage Wood’s 19-strikeout no-hitter with a lone base runner as a HBP would register a game score of 106. That number is significant and bests the highest recorded game score in MLB history. That record was set by Kerry Wood with the Chicago Cubs in 1998 with a Game Score of 105.
Remarkably, Kerry Wood did not register a no-hitter in that game, allowing a hit and another base runner via a HBP. But he did tie the MLB record for strikeouts in a 9-inning game, fanning 20 batters in a 2-0 win for Chicago.
Of course, it is hard to translate Gage Wood’s performance into MLB, but the Game Score metric illustrates just how dominant he was against Murray State. It also reinforces his outlook for the 2025 MLB Draft as one of the top overall prospects available.
For now, Wood can rest comfortably as the Razorbacks await another elimination game, but his outing will undeniably go down as a legendary moment in Arkansas and college baseball history.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
