Graphic Photo Shows Nearly Sawed-Off Finger Of New Tigers Pitcher
(97.1 The Ticket) Travis Wood's finger survived to tell the tale. And he has the evidence to back it up.
Wood, the veteran left-hander signed by the Tigers this offseason, came close to losing his right index finger in a cross-bow accident last month. He was preparing his bow for a deer-hunting trip when a routine process went awry.
"When I went to put the arrow in, it just went off when it wasn't supposed to. The string went through the finger. It was broken in two places and almost went all the way through," Wood told reporters on Wednesday, via MLive.com.
His finger was left hanging by a thread and needed to be sewn back together. He still has a pin in the area of the procedure, which is red, swollen and altogether unpleasant.
Wood said the pin will be removed by the end of this week.
Immediately after the accident, he thought the top of his finger might need to be amputated. He even asked his doctor is this would facilitate a quicker recovery. His doctor went a different route.
"I got to keep all of it," Wood said. "They had to go in and stitch it all the way out."
In his first few days of spring training, Wood has needed someone to stand beside him while he pitches to receive the ball from the catcher. Once the pin comes out, he should be able to catch on his own.
The 31-year-old signed a minor-league deal with the Tigers in January. He began his career as a starter with the Reds before becoming a reliever with the Cubs. He was one of Chicago's most bullpen reliable arms during its championship season in 2016.
Wood fell on hard times last year, pitching to a 6.80 ERA over 39 appearances with the Royals and the Padres.
He said he isn't yet sure whether the Tigers will use him as a starter or a reliever. Either way, he'll have 10 fingers at his disposal -- and a few blessings to count.
