Tim Wakefield - RIP

[Jeff P]

Yahoo Sports | Sun, Oct 1, 2023
Tim Wakefield, former Red Sox pitcher and 2-time World Series winner, dies at 57:
https://sports.yahoo.com/tim-wakefie...185219597.html

Former MLB pitcher and two-time World Series winner Tim Wakefield died Sunday, the Boston Red Sox announced. He was 57.

Wakefield, a Florida native, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a third baseman in 1988. He began working on a knuckleball when he realized he wouldn't make it as a position player, and he officially made the conversion to pitcher in 1990. His made his major-league debut in 1992 and had a fantastic season, but his career with the Pirates fizzled by 1995, and they released him.

He wasn't a free agent for long, though. Wakefield signed with the Red Sox a few days later and became a franchise mainstay, wowing fans with his knuckleball and his charity work with the team. He spent 17 seasons in Boston and was part of the landmark, curse-breaking 2004 World Series team, as well as the 2007 championship team. He owns all-time Red Sox records with 430 starts and 3,006 innings pitched, and he ranks second in franchise annals with 590 pitching appearances and 2,046 strikeouts, He is the only player in franchise history to appear in a game at the age of 44 or older, and he is the all-time Fenway Park leader with 216 starts and 1,553 innings at the ballpark.

Wakefield joined the Red Sox as a broadcaster and a special assistant after his retirement in 2012 and continued his charitable work as honorable chairman of the Red Sox Foundation. He helped revive a nonprofit therapeutic preschool program for children with special needs when it was struggling financially and held an auction and celebrity golf tournament every year to raise money. He worked closely with the Jimmy Fund both during and after his career, assisting in its annual radio telethon.

Wakefield is survived by his wife, Stacy, and their children, Trevor and Brianna.

Rest in Peace



-jp
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[PaceAdvantage]

Curt Schilling is always getting into trouble, isn't he?

That's such tragic news about both Tim and his wife...both battling cancer...and now one of them has fallen to it...so sad and at such a young age.

[Inner Dirt]

Not a hardcore baseball fan, are there any knuckle ballers left?

[46zilzal]

That is too young. Used to mravel at his pitches

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

Not a hardcore baseball fan, are there any knuckle ballers left?

not 100% sure, but I don't know of any full-time MLB knuckle ballers.


Wakefield was one of the GOAT knuckle ballers, and was fun to watch. I remember him being on the Pirates before his fame in Boston, as well.


I really tried to throw a knuckleball. Was not a fit for my long fingers. I threw some for a naval academy recreation team called the Annapolis Blues (I was there to add to the roster, I wasn't in the service or academy). A H.S. teammate and myself were both made part of the team after I hit a HR in the tryout game vs. another team. Only one I hit the duration on that team.

When I had arm trouble, I'd throw a knuckleball for bait, but trying to throw a finger-tip knuckleball like the pros was a no-go. My natural grip for fingers and an odd-ball pitch was actually a forkball. A little different, but basically the same principles. All of a sudden a mediocre 80mph fastball arm speed was fine, and the much reduced 'spin' on the ball would cause movement.

Wakefield (a decent power hitter at one point) and R.A. Dickey (started as a pitcher but arm-trouble )or just bad pitching)? sort of forced both notable knuckleball pitchers to re-create their career with the pitch and the right sitation/opportunity.

There are a few guys on every roster who can throw a decent knuckleball playing catch. They probably aren't consistent, and probably have little understanding of the theory behind using the pitch. There's a big stigma and confidence thing which kind of discourages those guys from any real focus on it. Kind of like how Shohei Ohtani doing both pitching and hitting is such a culture shock, as it was long since thought impossible to see at a good level again.

Think we'll eventually see some more rare knuckleheads and some more guys both pitch and hit.


Sorry to hear about Wakefield's passing. I know he entertained millions.

[dnlgfnk]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

Not a hardcore baseball fan, are there any knuckle ballers left?

Matt Waldron (Padres) threw it 27% of the time this yr., was called up in June, I believe.
George Kirby (Mariners) threw one Sunday, the day Wakefield passed, reportedly in his honor.

[Inner Dirt]

Originally Posted by dnlgfnk

Matt Waldron (Padres) threw it 27% of the time this yr., was called up in June, I believe.
George Kirby (Mariners) threw one Sunday, the day Wakefield passed, reportedly in his honor.

Didn't both the Neikro brothers throw the knuckle ball? that was back in the day I was a hardcore baseball fan.

[dnlgfnk]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

Didn't both the Neikro brothers throw the knuckle ball? that was back in the day I was a hardcore baseball fan.

Yeah, Phil maybe a bit better. Stuck out an extra batter per 9 IP over their careers.

[Bustin Stones]

The granddad of knucklers was Hoyt Wilhelm. He was the first pitcher to throw his knuckler almost exclusively. He'd mix in a fastball only on occasion to keep hitters honest. I remember his catchers using a monster mitt and even then they couldn't corral his pitches well. The trick was to somehow get on base and wait for a passed ball to advance. Hitters started using specialty bats to improve their odds of getting a piece of the ball. These odd bats were not as tapered as regular bats.

[Inner Dirt]

Originally Posted by Bustin Stones

The granddad of knucklers was Hoyt Wilhelm. He was the first pitcher to throw his knuckler almost exclusively. He'd mix in a fastball only on occasion to keep hitters honest. I remember his catchers using a monster mitt and even then they couldn't corral his pitches well. The trick was to somehow get on base and wait for a passed ball to advance. Hitters started using specialty bats to improve their odds of getting a piece of the ball. These odd bats were not as tapered as regular bats.

Pretty much had the Angels and Dodgers on radio every night back in that day. I remember him as an Angel, but not a Dodger. I just looked him up, looks like he played for 9 different teams I wonder if that is a record?