It was just announced via the red sox that former RHP Tim Wakefield passed away at age Red Sox57. It was mentioned the other day by Curt Schilling on his podcast that Wakefield had cancer. Schilling has received heavy criticism for revealing the diagnoses and not respecting the privacy of the Wakefield family.
Tim Wakefield’s Baseball Career
The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Wakefield in the eighth round of the 1988 MLB Draft. He started his career playing for the Pirates for two seasons, posting a 14-12 record in 37 appearances and 33 starts; he had a 4.17, a 4.54 FIP, a 1.50 WHIP, a 0.7 HR/9, a 4.5 BB/9, and a 4.5 K/9. He would sign as a free agent with the Red Sox in 1995, where he spent 17 seasons, winning two World Series trophies. He did not pitch in the 2007 World Series, sacrificing his roster spot for Jon Lester, showing how unselfish of a person Wakefield was in life. During his career in Boston, Wakefield went 186-168 in 590 appearances and 430 starts; he posted a 4.43 ERA, a 4.74 FIP, a 1.33 WHIP, a 1.2 HR/9, a 3.3 BB/9, and a 6.1 K/9. Wakefield was known for his highly effective Knuckleball and was an all-star in 2009. He was most recently working at NESN as a studio analyst. RIP, Tim Wakefield, you will be missed.
