According to every Red Sox beat writer on Twitter, Tim Wakefield is set to announce his retirement from baseball at 5 pm this afternoon. The Red Sox had invited him to spring training on a non-guaranteed deal, and there were rumors he had some other offers, but after 19 seasons, one of The 25 has decided to stop knuckling.
Wakefield finishes his career as one of 24 pitchers who struck out over 2,000 batters with the same team. He's also ranked first in Red Sox history in innings pitched, second in games pitched, third in wins, second in strikeouts, first in games started, and, in less talked about news, also first in homers, hits, walks allowed, and losses. Longevity will do that to you, and Wakefield certainly had longevity. He also had a knuckler, making his franchise-leading 125 wild pitches and 176 hit batsmen more like badges of honor than shame.
We covered the man's career in detail this year, as he chased after win 200. Honor Tim Wakefield today by reliving those moments; I know I'll be reminiscing about the best days of that butterfly pitch today.
- Tim Wakefield Wins #200
- Why Tim Wakefield Is Still Worth Rooting For
- The Two Tim Wakefields
- Where Does Tim Wakefield Fit In The Pantheon Of Red Sox Pitchers?
- The Tim Wakefield Era
- Tim Wakefield, In His Roundabout Way, Reaches 200 Wins
Thanks, Timmy. See you at the number retirement ceremony.