On May 28, 1973, while pitching for the White Sox against the Cleveland Indians, Wood pitched the remainder of a 21-inning carryover game that had been suspended two nights earlier, allowing only two hits in five innings to earn the victory. He then started the regularly scheduled game and pitched a four-hit complete game shutout, earning two wins in the same night. This gave him 13 wins 40 games into Chicago's season. "I certainly wasn't tired tonight, and I could have pitched many more innings," he told reporters after the game. He faltered in June, though, posting a 1–8 record and a 4.43 ERA and losing six games in a row at one point. Against the Yankees on July 20, Wood started both ends of a doubleheader, one of two pitchers to do so since Don Newcombe in 1950 (the other was Al Santorini in 1971) and the last pitcher to do so since. After he failed to get any outs in the first game and took the loss, Tanner decided to let him start Game 2. "I told Chuck I didn’t pitch much; I can go back out if you need me. Maybe I shouldn’t have, because they beat me up in the second game too!" Wood laughingly recalled. He allowed a grand slam to Roy White in Game 2 as part of seven runs in innings, losing his second start of the day. Despite allowing six runs to the Twins on July 29, he won his 20th game of the year. Over the season's final two months, he posted a 4–6 record, along with a 4.36 ERA. In 1973, he led the AL with 24 wins. However, his 20 losses also ranked second in the AL, one behind teammate Bahnsen's total. It was only the ninth time since 1900 that a pitcher had won and lost 20 games in the same year, and the first time since Walter Johnson did so in 1916. He pitched innings in 48 starts, both totals which led the league, finishing eighth in the AL with 199 strikeouts and sixth with 21 complete games. His ERA was 3.46. Wood finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting.