Remembering Tim Wakefield and a Moment You Probably Forgot
I spent a lot of time this weekend remembering Tim Wakefield and all the joy he brought me as a Red Sox fan. Then I remembered something else, too.
If you spent the weekend in a pumpkin spice-induced stupor or a fugue state after that embarrassing Patriots ass-kicking and missed the news, Red Sox Hall of Famer Tim Wakefield passed away at the too-young age of 57. Our sister station 98.5 The Sports Hub has this piece on his passing, which includes Wake’s franchise-leading stats. 17 of his 19 MLB seasons were spent in Boston.
Tim Wakefield was my first favorite Sox player of my adult Red Sox fandom. And you know what I mean when I say that. When you’re a kid, your sports fandom plays out differently than when you’re a grown up. Wake joined the team as I was graduating high school, and I was fascinated by him. He was a knuckleballer, which was rare. And he was an absolute blast to watch pitch.
As I finished school and went into college, then graduated and started my radio career, Wake was a Sox constant. Never the ace, he was always doing whatever it took to make his team better and to give them a chance to win. He was an inspiration to me, as I was never the radio ace: the morning show anchor, the big-name afternoon talent. I was a team player with a unique skillset, just like Wake.
Remembering Tim Wakefield and a Moment You Probably Forgot
A lot of folks with a lot more talent and a deeper connection to Tim Wakefield than I have are going to write a lot about Wake. But I don’t think any of them are going to write about this. In 2006, Wake’s battery mate, Doug Mirabelli, left the Sox for a starting job in San Diego. He didn’t end up starting, and new Sox catcher Josh Bard couldn’t catch Wake’s knuckleball.
So the Sox did the only reasonable thing: they made a trade to get Mirabelli back behind the plate for Wake. The trade went down on the day of the first Sox-Yankees game of the 2006 season, and Wake was slated to start. To get Mirabelli across the country and to the park on time, the Sox used a private jet and a State Police escort. He arrived at Fenway at 7 p.m.; first pitch was at 7:13. Success.
You can relive that moment below as part of a piece about knuckleballers and Tim Wakefield. And maybe keep Dougie in your thoughts, too. I’m sure he’s even more heartbroken than the rest of us that Wake isn’t here anymore.