In Honor of Tim Wakefield

by Justin_Bobo on Aug 19, 2009 3:56 PM EDT

It seems as if Tim Wakefield may not be ready for September call-ups...and the pessimistic side of me believes we may not see him again this season. With a nerve (and/or disk) injury now affecting his lower back and his legs, this may be quite the obstacle for the 43 year old knuckleballer to overcome. With Wakefield's future in the hands of Epstein and the club (with these ridiculous 4 million dollar club options year after year, constantly leaving the fans in limbo), is it time for him to hang it up? The beginning of this season would lead us to say otherwise, but for the sake of argument, lets agree to disagree and say he hangs it up. Well, Mr Wakefield, here's an honorary article thanking you for all you have done for this franchise.

Everyone may not be the biggest fan of Tim Wakefield and his continuous 4+ ERA but he no doubt has been a mainstay and a solid contributor for his 15 major league seasons with the Boston Red Sox.

A player once released by the worst team in major league baseball (Pittsburgh Pirates), the Red Sox immediately gave him a chance by signing him as a free agent in 1995, 6 days after being released by Pittsburgh. That season he had what was arguably his best season in a Sox uniform, going 14-1 in his first 17 games, and finishing 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA.

In 1999, Wakefield again held the Red Sox on his shoulders when he not only started 17 games, but also had 15 saves during that season. After that season, Wakefield's versatility proved huge in his constant shifts from starter to bullpen to starter.

With his career possibly ending, he would finish 11 wins shy of 200 and 40 strikeouts shy of 2,000.

He was named the 1995 Comeback Player of the Year, has 2 World Series wins, and has one All-Star nomination under his belt (2009).

I'd like for this to be an open forum for discussion of Wakefield's greatest moments as a member of the Red Sox.

Poll

How do you view Tim Wakefield?

A future Hall of Famer

49 votes

A future Red Sox Hall of Famer

259 votes

An average Major League pitcher

57 votes

Overrated at best

21 votes

386 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

He's going to do another rehab start...

And then we’ll see how he looks from there. Maybe Jed can share some of his nerve meds?

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by bdalebs on Aug 19, 2009 5:14 PM EDT reply actions

I hope we see him.

It’d be depressing for one of his better seasons in years to go down the drains like this.

Absolutely a Red Sox HoFer though. The perpetual option he gave this team remains one of the most impressive shows of loyalty to a team ever. Add in the fact that he’s done everything the team has ever asked, and there’s no question.

by Ben Buchanan on Aug 19, 2009 6:41 PM EDT reply actions

+1

Word.

Man I love that tuna casserole.

by Bloggy on Aug 19, 2009 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions

True Teammate

I feel as if Tim Wakefield is to the Red Sox what Troy Brown was to the Patriots. Never say no, and do whatever it takes to help his team. True teammate.

by Justin_Bobo on Aug 19, 2009 9:21 PM EDT reply actions

He eats up a lot of innings and gets at least 10-12 wins a year, that’s pretty damn good for a middle/last of the rotation guy. I’d like to see him for another year.

by t.williams9 on Aug 19, 2009 11:18 PM EDT reply actions

The wins don't mean much.

There are times when he doesn’t get enough run support, and there are times when he gives up 7 runs in 5 innings but the offense gets him 11 runs.

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by bdalebs on Aug 19, 2009 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions

if you can get over 10 wins from a 4/5 starter than that’s pretty good.

by t.williams9 on Aug 19, 2009 11:37 PM EDT reply actions

WINS MEAN NOTHING

They are much more about how the team did than how the pitcher performed.

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by bdalebs on Aug 20, 2009 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions

A very memorable pitfcher

Incredibly consistent with an incredibly inconsistent pitch. Even his ERA doesn’t tell the story because he’d have three 7 IP 2 ER games followed by a 4 IP 6 ER game to drive up the ERA. I’d rather have three gems and a stinker every four games over 4 mediocre games.

by BigRedDog42 on Aug 20, 2009 9:12 AM EDT reply actions