David Lee “Boomer” Wells is one of baseball’s most colorful left-handers, a workhorse starter whose 21-year Major League career and blunt, blue-collar persona made him a fan favorite—and later a visible supporter of medical cannabis and CBD. Born May 20, 1963, in Torrance, California, and raised in San Diego, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1982 and debuted in MLB in 1987. Over more than two decades, Wells pitched for nine teams, including the Blue Jays, Tigers, Reds, Orioles, Yankees, White Sox, Padres, Red Sox, and Dodgers, compiling a 239–157 record, 2,201 strikeouts, a 4.13 ERA, three All-Star selections, and two World Series rings.
Early on, Wells bounced between the bullpen and rotation in Toronto, but by the early 1990s he had established himself as a durable starter and earned a championship ring with the 1992 Blue Jays. A move to Detroit in 1993 gave him a full-time role, and later stops in Cincinnati and Baltimore reinforced his reputation as a big-game competitor who relied more on command and a big curveball than overpowering velocity.
His personality—unfiltered, funny, sometimes controversial—seemed tailor-made for the New York spotlight. Signing with the Yankees before the 1997 season, Wells delivered his defining moment on May 17, 1998, when he threw a perfect game at Yankee Stadium against the Minnesota Twins, retiring all 27 batters in a 4–0 win. It was the 15th perfect game in MLB history and the second in Yankees history, joining fellow Point Loma High alum Don Larsen in franchise lore and capping an 18–4 season for one of baseball’s most dominant teams.
Later stints with Toronto, the White Sox, and a second run with the Yankees produced more heavy workloads, including a 20-win season for the Blue Jays in 2000. Even into his 40s, Wells logged starts for the Padres, Red Sox, and Dodgers before his final MLB appearance in 2007, underscoring just how durable he had been.
That durability came at a cost. Wells has spoken candidly about multiple surgeries, chronic back pain, and a deep dependence on prescription painkillers near the end of his career. In interviews, he has said he was taking opioids like Percocet “75 to 80 percent of the time” after 1999 and struggled with the physical and mental side effects that came with long-term use.
His turning point came after discovering cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis. Wells has credited medical marijuana oil and CBD products with helping him step away from opioid painkillers, manage lingering pain, and sleep better in retirement. In a widely shared video and later features, he describes himself as “living proof” that CBD can transform an athlete’s life, saying he feels clearer and more functional using CBD instead of heavy pharmaceuticals.
Wells has since become an outspoken advocate for CBD in sports. On podcasts and in media profiles, he has urged major leagues to “open their eyes” to CBD’s potential as a safer option for pain and inflammation, arguing that teams and unions should prioritize long-term health over quick fixes. He has even launched his own CBD venture, CBD Centric, positioning it toward people dealing with chronic pain, sports injuries, and sleep issues, and frequently connects his message to the broader opioid crisis affecting athletes and everyday patients alike.
Today, David Wells carries two intertwined legacies: one as the brash lefty who threw a perfect game and helped deliver championships, and another as a retired star using his platform to push for a different approach to pain management through cannabis-derived therapies.