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HOUSTON – Cubs bench coach Jamie Quirk is back in the manager saddle again, he just might not get as much attention this time.

Quirk was managing Wednesday while Dale Sveum attended the high-school graduation of his son in Arizona, five days after he took over midgame when Sveum was ejected.

That game on Friday turned out to be Kerry Wood’s farewell and Quirk found himself right in the middle of the moment.

The plan was simple: Get Wood in one last game in a spot he is normally used and afterward the right-hander would walk off into the sunset. If it didn’t happen Friday then fine, but it was expected to happen soon.

It did happen Friday, though, and Quirk ended up doing a little improvising. He first thought he would use Wood for consecutive right-handed batters. But then he also though that since the pitcher’s spot was due up sixth after that half inning he might even let Wood get those two outs and go back for more the next inning.

Then came Wood’s three-pitch strikeout to the White Sox’s Dayan Viciedo, with the final strike coming on Wood’s patented curveball, and a new plan was hatched.

“The right-hander was up who had real poor numbers against left-handed pitching and we had (James) Russell ready so I just went out and said, ‘Let’s do it right now,” Quirk said. “It was fun. I was excited that I got to be the guy. I was definitely not about me by any means but it was fun to be the guy.”

Quirk said he did have one regret.

“When I went to take him out he handed me the ball,” Quirk said. “We got the ball for him but I wish I would have said, ‘No, you take the ball on in.’ I didn’t think about that at the time but it worked out well.”

Through all the drama, Quirk was careful not to lose sight what was also important.

“We still had a ballgame,” Quirk said. “I knew I wasn’t hurting our chances to win by bringing in Russell to face the right-hander because the right-hander did not hit lefties well. So I wasn’t putting the game in jeopardy. It was still a one-run game. I didn’t want to do that. If it was in jeopardy I would have him face the other right-hander and gone on with the other plan. It was just right to do it at that time.”

"Baseball Tonight's" Tim Kurkjian looks back at the box score for Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout performance against the Astros in 1998.

CHICAGO -- Kerry Wood's final day in the major leagues had former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry fondly remembering the past.

Hendry and Wood are forever linked from the day the latter was drafted to their eventual playoff success and finally one last go-around in a Cubs uniform beginning last season.

“We started together in ’95, I was the minor-league director and he was our first-round pick that year,” Hendry said Saturday on ESPN 1000’s Talkin’ Baseball show. “We got along and got the whole process started. Obviously through my general manager years he was an integral part in the beginning of us doing well."

Hendry considers Wood’s victory in Game 5 of the 2003 National League Division Series as one of the more important games in Cubs history and the injuries to Wood and Mark Prior the following season some of the darkest days.

Through it all, his link with Wood was a powerful one.

“I try to get past just the wins and losses and realize the human being he is, and our relationship and how much he meant to so many lives,” Hendry said.

After making his retirement official Saturday in front of family and teammates, Wood also recalled his special bond with Hendry.

“He’s just a great friend,” Wood said. “Obviously we had the business side of the relationship, but as the business side kind of wore off we became friends fairly quick. I’ve known him for a long time and the one thing I respect about him, in his position he always told guys the truth and never beat around the bush. He never tried to sugar coat anything. You’ve got to respect that. You may not like to hear it all the time. Jim Hendry was great to me and great to my family. He's a tremendous person.”

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CHICAGO -- With his wife and kids at his side, and all his Chicago Cubs teammates, as well as the coaching staff, standing in full uniform behind him, Kerry Wood made his retirement official Saturday afternoon.

If Friday was about getting in his last major league pitch, Saturday was about thanking everybody that made his career last as long as it did.

Standing at Wrigley Field’s home plate, the area he focused on so many times during a 15-year career, Wood not only saluted the coaches and players he worked with but also reserved kind words for the doctors and physical therapists that brought him back time and time again from injury.

There were no tears, and from the sound of it there are no regrets. He called his final day as a major leaguer on Saturday the most memorable of his career, ahead of playoff appearances, his 20-strikeout game and everything else he has done in baseball.

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ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine joins SportsCenter to discuss Paul Konerko's injury and Kerry Wood's final game.

Anyone who played with Kerry Wood knew that, when he eventually retired, they would immediately feel old. There was something perpetually youthful about Wood, even through the injuries and the 14 years he served in the league.

The first time I saw Kerry Wood, I understood what people meant when they said "man amongst boys." Like any major league player, you know the feeling of being the best in your town, high school, county, state, even country, but Kerry Wood came on the scene and you thought you were watching someone who would rewrite baseball history.

In 1995, I ended the Triple-A season with a lot of question marks on my back. The Chicago Cubs decided that I needed to go to instructional league in Arizona to continue my work after the season. For a Triple-A player, this is partially a test, and partially a suggestion that you're "running out of time," since instructional league was reserved mostly for newly minted minor league players, guys in their late teens or early 20s at the latest.

So one day, there was Kerry Wood at 18 years old, pitching against the Oakland A's instructional league team. Before I could actually see Wood pitch, I heard it. The catcher's mitt had no chance, nor did the professional hitters standing in the box. I had never seen anything like Kerry Wood up until that moment. His fastball looked like he was throwing snowflakes at 100 mph, and his curveball was what happened when that snowflake hit a tornado halfway to home plate.

It was truly mesmerizing to watch him pitch and I had seen a lot of good pitchers by that time in my minor league journey.

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The praise for Kerry Wood, who pitched his final major league game on Friday, was quick to come from both sides of Chicago.

Former Chicago Cubs player and Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins on Twitter: “Much respect for Kerry Wood. A true #Cub.”

Chicago Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair: “Wow, that was pretty incredible just to see the fans' reaction and obviously (to) carry his son off the field like that, it was a pretty special moment. I'm pretty honored to be a part of that.”

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija: “Woody was here when I got here in ’08. He was a great guy helping young guys and really showing everyone how to play this game the right way. He’s done great things for this team and this organization. It’s a tough day. It’s not a good day when Kerry Wood retires. Hopefully we’ll remember all the things he did great and all the great things he did for the city and remember him for that. Hopefully he decided to stick around a little bit and bug us. That would be nice.”

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CHICAGO -- You shouldn't be surprised Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood struck out the first batter he faced in the major leagues. It was Mark Grudzielanek, then of the Montreal Expos.

Fourteen years later, you shouldn't be surprised that Wood struck out the last batter he faced, Dayan Viciedo of the Chicago White Sox.

Both strikeouts were swinging. For everything Kerry Wood didn't do in his roller coaster career, he always did one thing better than almost anyone: Make guys miss.

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Kerry Wood is certainly a fan favorite. But is he one of the Top 50 Cubs of all time? Hot Button: Vote! »

As Kerry Wood walked off the mound for the last time on Friday, he was already contemplating his post-playing days future.

“I want to stay with the team and help the guys if I can,” Wood said. “I know I enjoy teaching some of the things I have learned and I’m already close to the guys.”

Before signing again with the Cubs in 2011 Wood had a sit down with team chairman Tom Ricketts. In that meeting Ricketts told the iconic Cub pitcher that there always be a place for him and his family in the organization. The job description was left unspecified, however Wood was told that this would not be a handout or token offering.

Wood’s talents are many and a front office or broadcasting job seem possible. For now, this ultimate baseball lifer wants to be there for Cubs manager Dale Sveum and his staff.

“I want to be a part of this team and organization for a long time,” Wood said in his postgame press conference. “Baseball was the one thing I knew how to do and now (that part ) is over.”

Wood and his wife, Sarah, are hard-working parents and serious fundraisers for numerous charities, including the old and soon-to-be-opened Children’s Memorial Hospital, and it appears his future will always have a connection to the Chicago Cubs and the fan base that has loved him from Day One in 1995.

CHICAGO -- A moment-to-moment sketch of how Kerry Wood's last day in the major leagues unfolded Friday at Wrigley Field:

News spreads early in the morning of it likely being the veteran Chicago Cubs reliever’s last day in the major leagues. While whispers of his pending retirement actually started to circulate Thursday night, the first confirmation came when Wood’s wife updated her Facebook status. “Every story has an end but in life every ending is just a new beginning,” the post read.

The Cubs media relations staff says Wood will not talk to the media before the game.

More information of Wood’s retirement plans are revealed, including the fact that he wants to make one more outing before calling it a career. The word is that Wood won’t be used in a situation he hasn’t been used in this season, meaning that his final outing could come later in the series.

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David Banks/Getty ImagesCubs reliever Kerry Wood hugs his son Justin after recording his final major league strikeout on Friday.

Wood’s young son is a constant presence at his father’s side all morning, first in the clubhouse then out on the field as the Cubs began to stretch and take batting practice.

Wood, his son and some players could be seen at the top of the center field bleachers during batting practice, taking in the view from beneath the scoreboard. Wood even takes his son inside the scoreboard for a peek.

Wood stays close to his son in the outfield during batting practice. It seems like a wholesome father-son moment, and while that is true, the pitcher had other reasons for staying so close. “I didn’t want him to be hit in the face on the last day,” he said, drawing a laugh.

Wood brings out the Cubs’ lineup card to the umpires before the game.

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A gorgeous, sunny day and breaking news of Kerry Wood's pending retirement couldn’t prevent the Cubs and White Sox from posting a record for low attendance.

The announced crowd of 34,937 was the lowest single-game attendance for a game between the Cubs and White Sox since the inception of interleague play in 1997. The previous low was 35,155 at US Cellular Field last year.

The news about Wood’s decision to retire came at about 9 a.m. CT. That the Cubs reliever planned to pitch in one more game before calling it a career seemingly didn’t do much to bolster ticket sales.

When Wood struck out 20 Astros at Wrigley Field on May 6, 1998, the announced attendance was only 15,758. The first Cubs vs. White Sox interleague game on June 16, 1997 drew 36,213 to Wrigley Field. The Cubs beat the White Sox 8-3 in that game, behind three hits from Ryne Sandberg.

CHICAGO -- The sudden retirement of Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood begs the question of what real status he holds as an all-time Cubs great.

The initial gut reaction tells you by the numbers Wood, who struck out Dayan Viciedo in his final appearance on Friday, may have come up short when comparing numbers of pitchers such as Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux, but as far as popularity goes, he may have surpassed both icons.

Wood, who was only a shadow of himself this season, was "Kid K" only once, on April 11. That was when he struck out the side against the Milwaukee Brewers on just 13 pitches. The rest of this disappointing month and a half Wood spent walking hitters and pitching in pain.

From the time Wood arrived on the scene with perhaps the most dominant pitching performance in baseball history, his status among Cubs fans was elevated to an unrealistic level. Wood after all was one of their own who embraced the city and the fans. The Texas native even married a Chicago girl and made the North Side his home.

Wood only left to play with the Cleveland Indians because the Cubs never made an offer. The Wood family never wanted to leave and now never will, raising their three children in a soon-to-be-built north suburban home.

The numbers (86-75, 3.67 ERA, 1,582 strikeouts) don’t scream out all-time great when you look at a player who spent a large part of his career fighting back from yearly injuries. But don’t tell that to a generation of Cubs fans who relate to Wood’s guts and determination rather than the won-loss record.

Wood never won 15 games and only had two seasons with more than 200 innings pitched. But he will go down as the Cubs’ most popular pitcher of the last 20 years.

CHICAGO -- The White Sox got the jump on the Cubs in the opener of the cross-town series with a 3-2 victory on Friday.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Gordon Beckham put the White Sox on top for good with an eighth-inning home run, but it was Kerry Wood’s final outing that got most of the attention. Wood came on in the eighth inning for the final outing of his career and struck out Dayan Viciedo on three pitches. He tipped his cap as he walked off to a standing ovation and was greeted by his son on the field before reaching the dugout. Paul Konerko hit a two-run home run for the White Sox in the first inning and was hit in the face by a pitch in the third inning and left the game.

WHAT IT MEANS: It was another classic Cubs-White Sox game even without the drama of Wood’s last career appearance. After Konerko was hit by the Jeff Samardzija pitch, White Sox pitcher Phil Humber threw behind Cubs slugger Bryan LaHair an inning later. Samardzija, allowed to bat for himself in the seventh inning while down a run, singled in the tying run. Beckham put the White Sox ahead with his home run in the eighth inning.

OUTSIDE THE BOX (Cubs): Yes, that was a nearly identical first inning for the Cubs in consecutive nights. On Thursday against the Phillies, David DeJesus led off with a double. The same happened Friday. On Thursday, Tony Campana bunted DeJesus to third. On Friday he got DeJesus to third on a bunt but was safe himself on a single. Starlin Castro hit a sacrifice fly for the run in each game.

OUTSIDE THE BOX (White Sox): The White Sox received their biggest contribution Friday from an unexpected source – their No. 2 hitter. The White Sox have struggled all season to get consistent production from the No. 2 hole. They entered the game with their No. 2 batters hitting .141. Beckham helped improve those numbers Friday by going 2-for-4 with a home run, one run and two RBIs.

OFF BEAT: Cubs manager Dale Sveum earned his second ejection after arguing with umpire Marty Foster. Sveum said that DeJesus was tackled off second base in the fifth inning and should not have been called out. Beckham, the son of a former college football player, appeared to stumble into DeJesus and knock him off the bag. In the argument, Sveum appeared to lose a piece of chewing tobacco on Foster’s shirt.

UP NEXT: The White Sox will send left-hander John Danks (2-4, 6.46 ERA) to the mound in the middle game of the cross-town series. The Cubs will go with right-hander Ryan Dempster (0-1, 1.74) in the 6:15 p.m. start from Wrigley Field.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood will retire on Friday, a source familiar with the situation told ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine.

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