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| Over 19 years, Wakefield was the epitome of a team player. |
The 45-year-old veteran called it a career Friday after playing 19 seasons in Major League Baseball -- 17 in which came with his wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform.
Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1988 as a first baseman, Wakefield made his Major League debut in 1992 as a pitcher. He finished the season with an 8-1 record and a 2.15 earned run average in 13 starts. However, he lost 11 games in 1993 and spent most of the 1994 season pitching for Triple-A Buffalo.
Wakefield was called up in September, but never appeared in a big league due to the strike-shortened season. The Pirates released Wakefield prior to the start of the 1995 season.
The Red Sox saw his potential and decided to take a chance on the then-28-year-old right hander.
Wakfield started the year at Triple-A Pawtucket, but injuries paved his fast track back to the majors. In his first 17 games with the Red Sox, Wakfield emerged as the team's most reliable starter, throwing six complete games, accumulating to a 14-1 record with a 1.65 ERA.
Using his knuckleball more then he ever had, Wakefield finished the year 16-8, narrowly missing his first 200 inning season, throwing 195 1/3 innings and posting a 2.95 ERA. It would be the only season Wakefield would see his name finish on the American League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player ballot, finishing third and 13th, respectively.
Over the years, Wakefield became one of the most versatile pitchers the game has ever seen. He appeared in 627 games over his career, 463 of those coming as a starter and the other 164 out of the bullpen.
After throwing three consecutive seasons of 200-plus innings (1996-98), Wakefield started to mainly work out of the Boston bullpen. From 1999 to 2002, Wakefield appeared in a total of 190 games for the Red Sox, but only 66 came as a starter. During that span Wakefield appeared in 45 game or more each season, including saving a career-high 15 games in '99, but never starting more than 17 games in a year.
But it's one of his relief outings in the postseason that will forever live in infamy.
After being responsible for two of the three Red Sox wins as a starter in the 2003 ALCS, Wakefield entered the decisive seventh game in Yankee Stadium as a reliever with the score knotted at five, in the 11th inning and Aaron Boone coming to the plate.
On his first pitch of the game, Wakefield surrendered one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history as Boone launched it deep into the October night, sending New York fans home dancing -- something his knuckleball didn't quite do.
Wakefield went from being potentially the series' MVP and hero to the instant choker and goat.
However, just a year later on the same stage, Wakefield and Co. would have their revenge.
Facing a 3-1 series deficit, and at one point 3-0, Wakefield won Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS, the second of Boston's eight straight postseason wins, capping the most improbable comeback in postseason history en route to their first World Series title in 86 years.
In 2007, Wakefield would win a career-high 17 games and win his second World Series championship with the Red Sox despite only appearing two games that postseason.
Two years later, Wakefield was his selected to his first and only All-Star team, becoming the second oldest player in history to be named his to first career All-Star Game at age 42. Hall of Famer Satchel Paige was the oldest, making his first All-Star appearance in 1952 at 45.
At the break, Wakefield was 11-3, but was hampered by lower back and calf injuries the second half, allowing him only to pitch in four games the rest of the season.
This past season, Wakefield recorded his 200th win and by no means was it easy. He started the year in the bullpen, but by May he was back in the rotation.
Wakefield recorded his 199th career win on July 24, but waited nearly two months before his historic milestone. With the bullpen blowing numerous leads, the knuckleballer made eight appearances before recording his final Major League win on his ninth attempt.
On Sept. 13, he allowed five runs on five hits over six innings in Boston's 18-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Speaking of September, Wakefield was one of the many Red Sox pitchers that struggled in the season's final month. In the greatest collapse in baseball history, that saw Boston finish the season 7-20 in their final 27 games and squandering a nine-game wild card lead, Wakefield went 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA.
He relinquished five runs in all five of his September appearances, including what would be his final career start, coming in a 6-2 loss to the New York Yankees.
Wakefield finishes his career with a 200-180 record and a 4.41 ERA. 186 of his 200 wins came as a Red Sox, good enough for second on the franchise's all-time list behind Roger Clemens and Cy Young's 192.
He is only the second pitcher in Red Sox to tally more than 2,000 strike outs with 2,046. Clemens is the all-time leader with 2,590. However, Wakefield is first in starts (430), appearances (590) and innings pitched (3,006).
Only Carl Yastrzemski's 23 and Ted Williams and Dwight Evans' 19-year services to the organization preponderate Wakefield's 17.
As for his place with the greatest knuckleballers in history, Wakefield is surpassed by Joe Nierko, Eddie Cicotte and Hall of Famers, Hoyt Wilhelm, Ted Lyons and Phil Nierko. But if Nierko was the godfather of the knuckleball in the 60s, 70s and 80s, then Wakefield was the heir to the throne in the 90s and the turn of the century.
Wakefield may not be a Hall of Famer, but his place in Red Sox history is assured.
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