Pitcher Tim Wakefield retires from baseball at 45 years old

After 19 seasons in the majors – 17 of them with the Boston Red Sox – knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will publish his retirement from MLB. Sportsbook

The 45-year-old Wakefield will end up with 186 victories with the Red Sox, just 6 short of the team record shared by Cy Young and Roger Clemens. He recorded his 200th career victory late past season.

Wakefield said toward the end of last season that he needed to come back for his 18th season with the Red Sox, but as the winter wore on it became clearer he wasn’t in Boston’s plans. The team extended him an invite to spring coaching but didn’t assure him a register place. Had Wakefield accepted, he probably would have competed for the 5th spot in the rotation. Online Sportsbook

The Red Sox extended a similar invite to Captain Jason Varitek, who has spent the past fifteen years with the team. It remains confusing whether the soon-to-be-40-year-old catcher will take them up on the invite, sign someplace else or retire.

Wakefield, who finished last season with a 7-8 record and a 5.12 ERA in 23 starts, won just 1 of his last 10 starts, the bullpen failing to hold one or two leads. When the Red Sox desperately required somebody in September to step up and pitch a big game, Wakefield gave up 5 or even more runs in each of his last 4 starts, lasting 5 or fewer innings in 3 of them.

Wakefield had a career record of 200-180 with a 4.41 ERA and 2,156 strikeouts. He was written in 1988 by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a 1st baseman, but when he was made aware of reports that he didn’t have much of a future as a position player, he started to develop the knuckleball.

He had greatness in the minors as a pitcher and made it to the big leagues down the stretch for the playoff-bound Pirates in 1992. He went 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA and then won 2 starts in the National League Championship Series.

But he couldn’t sustain his victory and rebounded between the majors and minors before being released in 1995.

The Red Sox almost immediately signed Wakefield, and he finished up going 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA in 1995 as Boston won the American League East.

Wakefield became a vital gear on the Red Sox’s staff, winning Seventeen games in 1998 and even filling in as closer and picking up fifteen saves in 1999. From 2003-2008 he made at least 30 starts, winning 12 games for the 2004 World Series champs and 17 for the 2007 team that claimed it all.

Wakefield’s 17 years of service with the franchise is surpassed by only 3 players: Carl Yastrzemski (23), Ted Williams (19) and Dwight Evans (19). His name is at or close to the head of Boston’s best-ever lists in a number of categories – 3rd in wins, 1st in appearances (590), starts (430) and innings pitched (3,006), and 2nd in strikeouts (2,046; Clemens leads that class with 2,590).

Wakefield also pitched to 13 players who have gone on to control in the major leagues, including Joe Girardi, Mike Scioscia, Ozzie Guillen and Bud Black.