Kirk Wesley Rueter ( ; born December 1, 1970), nicknamed "Woody", is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Rueter played for the Montreal Expos and the San Francisco Giants. Early life Rueter was born in Centralia, Illinois, grew up in Hoyleton, Illinois, and graduated from Nashville Community High School District 99 in Nashville, Illinois, in 1988. He attended and played for Murray State University. Professional career Drafted by the Montreal Expos in , Rueter broke into the majors in at twenty-two years old and posted an 8-0 record in 14 starts. He pitched for the Expos through the 1996 season and compiled an overall 25-12 record. He would also go on to be the last player in the Nationals/Expos organization to wear the number 42 before its league-wide retirement the following season. On July 30, 1996, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants along with Tim Scott for Mark Leiter. Rueter blossomed into one of the Giants' most dependable starters. The following season, Rueter pitched in his first full season and to great success, going 13-6 with a 3.45 ERA in 32 starts with a career high 115 K's. In 1998, despite achieving a career high 16 victories, Rueter's ERA rose from the previous season, finishing with a 4.36 in 187+ innings. In 1999, backed with a lot of run support, Rueter reached 15 wins despite posting an ERA of 5.41, while also serving 28 home runs. In 2000, Rueter was the first pitcher to start a major league game at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. By the end of the season, Rueter bounced back to post an ERA of 3.96, while also collecting 11 wins. For many fans, Rueter's defining moment as a Giant was his gutsy bullpen performance in Game 2 of the NLDS, where he relieved starter Shawn Estes after Estes sprained his ankle on a baserunning play. , a year which saw a Giants' World Series appearance, was statistically Rueter's best year. He went 14-8 with a 3.23 ERA. Rueter was the pitcher in Game 4 of the 2002 World Series; he went six innings, allowing three earned runs. Rueter also pitched shutout ball in relief of Liván Hernández in Game 7 of the 2002 Series, but the Giants failed to score enough runs to come back. In 2003, despite posting a record of 10-5 in 27 starts, Rueter had an