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In Honor of Tim Wakefield


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.