Wells also appeared in the postseason as a member of six teams, tied for the most with Kenny Lofton, and won two World Series titles.

Growing up in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego[3][4][5] where he attended local public schools, Wells was dependent on his mother, who worked numerous jobs to support him and his four siblings.

He graduated from Point Loma High School, where he played baseball and basketball, in 1982 and was a self-described "gym rat" who spent most of his time at the Ocean Beach Recreation Center and Robb Field.

[6] Wells was Point Loma High School’s star pitcher and threw a perfect game his senior year.

[1] On July 31, Wells was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for C. J. Nitkowski, Mark Lewis, and minor leaguer Dave Tuttle.

[1] In 1997, Wells signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees, his favorite team because of a lifelong interest in baseball legend Babe Ruth.

He rang up an 18–4 record, finished fifth in the league in ERA (3.49), was third in voting for the Cy Young Award, and won a second World Series ring.

Pitching against the Oakland Athletics, he allowed no walks and only two hits, the first of which came with two outs in the seventh inning when Jason Giambi fought off an 0–2 count and singled.

[14] After the season, Wells returned to the Blue Jays as part of a trade for Roger Clemens, along with Homer Bush and Graeme Lloyd.

[15] Wells and pitcher Matt DeWitt were traded to the Chicago White Sox, in a deal that was quickly mired in controversy.

The primary player being traded by the White Sox, starting pitcher Mike Sirotka, was injured at the time of the deal and never pitched in the major leagues again.

Toronto's general manager, Gord Ash, had not made the deal contingent on the results of a medical examination, however, and MLB ruled in favor of the White Sox.

The Blue Jays thus received only Kevin Beirne, Brian Simmons, and minor leaguer Mike Williams, and the mistake ultimately cost Ash his job.

After a short season with the White Sox, Wells returned to the Yankees, a deal that was again immersed in controversy as he had already reached an oral agreement to join the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Wells was the subject of some controversy prior to the 2003 season, when his autobiography Perfect I'm Not: Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches and Baseball, was published.

[17][18] Among the other controversial statements were claims that he strengthened his pitching arm as a youth by throwing rocks at homeless people[18] and that his minor league team, the Kinston Blue Jays, had segregated stands in 1983 despite ample evidence to the contrary.

On December 11, 2004, Wells signed a two-year deal with the Boston Red Sox and took the uniform number 3, in honor of Babe Ruth.

On August 31, 2006, with the Red Sox postseason chances fading, Wells' wish of finishing his career playing for a West Coast team and a playoff contender was granted when he was traded back to the Padres for top catching prospect George Kottaras.

Wells' agent had stated the pitcher will keep his options open but his physical condition will play a large part in making the final decision whether or not to return for another season.

On August 2, 2008, Wells took part in the 62nd Annual Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium, where he said that he was not going to officially retire, but admitted that his pitching career was probably over.

[27][better source needed] Wells served as a baseball assistant coach at his alma mater Point Loma High School for several years.