This entry was posted on 6/11/2009 7:36 AM and is filed under uncategorized.
Tim Wakefield is routinely taken fore granted as the venerable 42-year-old knuckleballer that’s more novelty act than true baseball pitcher. The right-hander has seemingly been an institution in Boston for just as long as the Bunker Hill Monument and the Bull and Finch Pub, and – like all things that just keep quietly producing at an efficient and consistent rate – it’s become commonplace to just simply rely on Wakefield always being there.
Wake was his old reliable self last night at the Fens when he was handed six runs of support by the Boston offense, and he handed things over to a Sox bullpen that was able to hang on for a 6-5 win at their home ballpark last night.
Wakefield has been outstanding at home this season with a 5-0 record and a 3.27 ERA in five appearances at Fenway Park, and ranks among league leaders in complete games (2), wins (8), win percentage (.727) and opponent’s batting average (.254) against in a solid campaign for the Old Man Knuckleballer.
The one little wrinkle here is what the knuckleballer can do over the next few starts headed into early July, and -- if he can drop his ERA significantly over the next few starts – Wakefield could be looking at his first American League All-Star berth should Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon do the right thing and bestow the 42-year-old with something of a career achievement award.
“It would be huge (to be an All-Star),” said Wakefield. “It’s one thing that you want in a career is to make an All-Star team. We’ve won two World Series; just add it to the list of things that you can say you’ve accomplished in your career.
“Obviously it would be nice to make that team, and hopefully I can continue to pitch the way I’ve been pitching and finally make one after 14, 15 years. It would be an honor, and hopefully I can be in St. Louis.”
Wakefield improved to 8-3 overall with a 4.50 ERA with six innings of workmanlike pitching on Wednesday night, and notched his 11th career victory against the New York Yankees – a triumph that puts him second on the active all-time list behind only Toronto ace Roy Halladay.
“Every time it seems like we talk about Wake, you look up in the sixth or seventh and you have a chance to win,” said Sox manager Terry Francona. “Regardless, he finds a way. Whether he’s throwing a curveball (with his knuckleball) or he throws a couple of fastballs, he gives you a chance.”
It seems each year that questions are raised about whether this is the season that Wakefield will finally get supplanted by one of the young pitching guns in Boston’s stacked organization, but each year the longest-tenured member of the Olde Towne Team wins a spot and just keeps producing another 180 innings and 12-15 wins.
Earlier this season, when Daisuke Matsuzaka was on the shelf after winning an exhibition tournament during spring training and both Jon Lester and Josh Beckett were getting their feet under them, Wakefield was the knuckle glue holding the starting staff together – and for that his teammates would hope to see him get some recognition. The veteran put up a 1.86 ERA in four April starts and was clearly Boston’s best starting pitcher coming right out of the gate.
Guys like Zach Greinke, Edwin Jackson, teammate Josh Beckett, Jered Weaver, Halladay, Justin Verlander and Feliz Hernandez are clearly in front of Wakefield if the AL All-Star selections were to be made today – but injuries and unaccepted invitations to the Mid-Summer Classic could leave Wakefield as a viable candidate if he keeps floating knucklers and churning out W’s.
“Somebody asked me about that in the lunch room earlier and I wasn’t sure if he’s been an All-Star or not,” said Lowell. “That’d be pretty nice. I think anybody would be thrilled. More than his last couple of starts, he made huge starts for us earlier on when we’d been taxing our bullpen and he’s certainly pitched like an All-Star so far.
“I’m not too sure that people were expecting big things in spring training because everybody was talking about (John) Smoltz, (Brad) Penny and (Clay) Buchholz, but he really came onto the radar in a strong way right out of the gate.”
Just like a fine wine, Wakefield keeps going strong with each passing year spent twirling knucklers at the Fens – and there are no signs of stopping anytime soon.
