BOSTON -- Tim Wakefield had allowed his mind to wander to the thought of traveling to St. Louis next week for the Mid-Summer Classic.

But the 42-year-old knuckler didn’t know if it was really probable that he would make the cut after getting the “close but no cigar experience” in both 1995 and 2001 while reeling off superb first halves. It sometimes takes twice as much performance and statistical evidence for a novelty pitcher like a knuckleballer to gain the respect of those around Major League Baseball.

A knuckler is just one level above a simple sleight-of-hand trickster or a snake-oil salesman surviving on guts and guile rather than radar gun-busting “stuff”, right?

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon obviously didn’t think so when he used one of his managerial choices for the All-Star squad to tap Wakefield after a 10-3 first half with a 4.30 ERA in 16 starts and a .259 batting average against.

“I've been a big fan of his for a long time,” said Maddon during the TBS telecast on Sunday that announced the All-Star rosters. “He's having a great season. It’s about time that he was named an All-Star.” 

The cerebral Rays skipper indicated that he used things like stature within the game and a career body of work to help shape his handful of roster choices, and that left Wakefield in for the first time in 17 seasons pitching in the Major Leagues when the AL All-Star rosters were announced on Sunday afternoon. By getting the nod, Wakefield becomes the first knuckleball pitcher to make an All-Star team roster since one of his mentors -- Charlie Hough -- pitched for the American League back in 1986.

“I think any time you have players selected for the All-Star game it’s certainly an outward acknowledgement of the work that they’ve done and also for the time put in during the offseason,” said Sox pitching coach John Farrell. “For Tim it’s certainly been a long time coming. I don’t think there’s anybody happier for Tim than the guys in this room.”

The announcement came in the middle of an 8-4 victory for the Sox over the Mariners that allowed the Olde Towne Team to narrowly avoid the sweep and continue to keep their slim margin over the New York Yankees in the AL East.

Sox designated hitter David Ortiz and second baseman Dustin Pedroia – surging with a three-hit afternoon after Sox manager Terry Francona slid back into his old spot in the No. 2 hole -- started things off with a bang when they both bashed solo homers in the first inning, and a key two-out, two-run single by first baseman Mark Kotsay finally busted things open in the bottom of the seventh.

Lefty hurler Jon Lester kept the Sox in the game while throwing a season-high 122 pitches and throwing 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, and reliever Justin Masterson picked up the win with a scoreless 1 1/3 innings of relief. Lester racked up another nine strikeouts in the no-decision, and was impressive while still hitting 97-mph on the gun with his 115th pitch of the game.

Wake, however, becomes the second-oldest player ever to make his All-Star game debut behind only the immortal Satchel Paige, who was 46 years old when he first pitched in MLB’s showcase midseason game back in 1952. For weeks Wakefield had said how much being named an All-Star would mean during a career in which he’s captured two World Series rings and experienced just about everything, and on Sunday those emotions finally spilled out during a long ovation from the Fenway crowd when the All-Stars were announced. 

“I tried not to, but it’s kind of hard not to think about,” said Wakefield. “I feel very honored and humbled at the same; excited and nervous. (There are) a lot of emotions going through me right now.”