After a 1–2 start to 1973, Wood won 12 of his next 13 starts. From April 25 to May 2, he threw three straight shutouts. Facing Ryan in a matchup that pitted one of baseball's hardest thrower's versus one of baseball's slowest on May 24, 1973, Wood held the Angels scoreless for eight innings before finally giving up a run in the ninth. He was the winner as Chicago triumphed by a score of 4–1. Ron Fimrite, reporter for "Sports Illustrated", wrote that "Wood looked for all the world like a man playing catch at a picnic." For its June 4 issue, "Sports Illustrated" had planned to do a cover story on the Indianapolis 500, but rain postponed the race past the editing deadline. Instead, the magazine featured Wood on the cover. According to publisher Robert L. Miller, his name became a catchphrase for a backup cover story after that.