Wakefield Retires As One Of Red Sox' All-Time Greats
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Baseball players like Tim Wakefield just don't come around every day.
For starters, he's a knuckleballer, a rare breed of hurlers in this day and age of baseball. Really, though, his pitching style was way down the list of what makes Wakefield unique.
In an era of free agency, Wakefield remained a stalwart in Boston. In the time of escalating salaries, Wakefield's commitment to charity -- both with his time and his money -- grew stronger with each year. And in a sporting culture of look-at-me stars, Wakefield never had a problem taking a backseat to the spotlight and doing whatever the team needed.
Hear Wakefield announce his retirement:
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That, more than the numbers and the stats, is Wakefield's legacy, and it's why Wakefield's retirement on Friday is both a sad and happy day in Red Sox Nation.
"This has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Wakefield said at JetBlue Park on Friday evening. "So it's with a heavy heart that I stand here today … and I'm sad to say that I have decided to retire from this wonderful game of baseball."
Wakefield said he's wrestled with the decision for the entire offseason, and that taking a bigger role in his young children's lives helped make the decision for him.
With 19 seasons in the majors, Wakefield had a long list of thank yous, from former coaches, GMs, knuckleballers, staffers and owners.
"Thank you to my teammates for always having my back and pushing me to be the best I can be," he said. "Know that I will always have your backs.
"Finally I have to thank the Red Sox fans," he added. "You are the greatest fans in the world. I have enjoyed every minute of every game I have ever played for you."
Wakefield finishes his career with a 200-180 record, 4.41 ERA and 2,156 strikeouts. His 186 wins with the Red Sox is the third-most in franchise history, trailing only Cy Young and Roger Clemens. He said falling short of that record won't weigh on him heavily.
"Seven wins isn't gonna make me a different person or a better man," he said.
"He was a professional in every aspect of the word," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said Friday. "Off the field, on the field, in the clubhouse. As far as a friend, he was a guy that would go out of his way for any of us."
"Thank you to that young man who never quit," Sox chairman Tom Werner said at Friday's announcement. "Thank you to the man who sacrificed and always put teams first. Thank you for the two parades. … Thank you for the remarkable work you've done off the diamond."
While he couldn't have imagined he'd become a Red Sox icon, Wakefield said he knew he was in the right place as soon as he arrived at Fenway Park.
"When I saw the Green Monster for the first time," he said, "I knew I was where I belonged."
