“The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up.” ~ Bob Uecker
The baseball world and the rest of the world lost another truly great person on Sunday, October 1st. Tim Wakefield a former Pittsburgh Pirate and most notably a Boston Red Sox pitcher died of a seizure resulting from his battle with brain cancer. Tim was only 57 years old. My sincere condolences to his wife Stacy, his son Trevor, his daughter Brianna, the Wakefield family, the Red Sox organization, and anyone who followed his career or knew him through his numerous charitable works.
Tim was born on August 2nd, 1966, in Melbourne, Florida. He made his MLB Debut on July 31, 1992, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and his last appearance was on September 25, 2011, for the Boston Red Sox. He was a 6’2” 210lbs right-handed pitcher. He also batted right-handed. He specialized in throwing the knuckleball. Wakefield finished his career with 200 wins and 180 losses, a 4.42 earned Run Average and 2,156 strikeouts.
He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1992-1993) and the Boston Red Sox (1995-2011). He was named to the 2009 All-Star Team, was a two-time World Series Champion (2004 and 2007), won the Roberto Clemente Award (a humanitarian award) in 2010 (he was nominated 8 different years) and was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2016. He retired in February 2012 and in June of that year was hired as a studio analyst by NESN, which covers the Red Sox.
(Photo of Tim Wakefield throwing his knuckleball. Found on the internet. Assuming Public Domain.)
Wakefield was drafted in the 8th round of the 1988 draft as a first baseman by the Pittsburgh Pirates and received a $15,000 signing bonus. Due to a limited skills ceiling as a position player, he was told that he wouldn’t progress past Double-A ball by a scout. He began experimenting with and honing the knuckleball to become a pitcher. He made a good decision.
CLICK HERE if you’d like to see Wakefield’s knuckler in “action”. Do you think you could hit it? I doubt I could have.
Wakefield wore number 49 to continue a tradition and to honour former knuckleball pitchers such as Hoyt Wilhelm, Charlie Hough, Charlie Haeger and Tom Candiotti. He was mentored by Charlie Hough when he was developing the pitch. It is a special brotherhood. He wore it with pride, and he wore it well.
Rest well sir.
On a side note, as many of you know I coached basketball from 1972 through 2020. Over the weekend, one of my players from the late 70s was laid to rest. Cathy was a sweetheart. I have very fond memories of her. She always called me “Coach” even as an adult. She had a quick wit, specializing in puns and one-liners. She had gone through many serious health issues. This truly broke me up when I was informed of her passing, I will miss her dearly. Please keep her in your thoughts and send out positive vibes and prayers for her family and her soul.
~ Coach Mike
AUTHORS NOTE: My apologies to my faithful readers for not posting on a regular basis lately. I will strive to be more consistent. Lots of “life” has been occurring and needed my attention. Thanks to those who reached out.
If you’d like to try out another baseball email, check out “Dead Legends”. Each day you receive an unusual event or story of a past player along with a quick blurb of a player with “strange name”. It’s a quick read, enjoyable, informative, and a must for any baseball fan. CLICK HERE to subscribe.
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Beautiful dedication to Tim Wakefield ‼️ Thank you 🙏 So sorry for the loss of your dear friend😞 Love your posts and they’re always filled with humor, love of the sport , great information and lots o passion💯