This entry was posted on 8/13/2009 1:46 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
BOSTON -- For all those wondering who will potentially catch knuckleballer Tim Wakefield if all goes well during this Saturday’s rehab start for Pawtucket, it appears that Victor Martinez may be taking on those responsibilities. V-Mart caught Wakefield’s last bullpen session and then requested more punishment with a few extra rounds of catching balls spit at him from a knuckleball machine under the watchful eye of Sox catching guru Gary Tuck.
Martinez was lined up to potentially catch Wakefield in the AL All-Star game if Wakefield pitched in the Midsummer Classic, but that situation never came to fruition. The 30-year-old former Cleveland Indians catcher has never caught knuckleball at any level of pro baseball prior to coming to Boston, but he didn’t appear lacking in enthusiasm at potentially taking on an additional passed ball or two this season.
Boston's new backstop certainly hadn't heard the horror stories about Josh Bard, who not once, but twice, failed in attempts to learn the way of catching the knuckler, and ultimately was shipped out of Boston because of it. He also was blissfully ignorant about John Flaherty's tale of woe, as the longtime journeyman catcher decided that retirement was a more palatable option than catching Wake's shaky knuckler back in 2007.
Just like Flaherty and Bard, Martinez has had no experienc with the knuckler. But he wasn't going to let that stop him, or throw a scare into him attempting to wrap a glove around the elusive trick pitch.
“Never. Not once even in the minor leagues,” said Martinez, when asked if he’d ever caught a knuckleball prior to chasing after Wakefield’s version of the pitch. “That was the first time. It went all right. It went a little better than I what I thought. You’ve got to get a different glove that’s a little bigger.
“(Tuck) was giving me some tips. He said to relax and let the ball come to you. With a regular pitcher you have to go get the ball and frame it, but you don’t have to do any of that with (the knuckleball). You just wait for it to come to you.”
It appears that Jason Varitek won’t be entering the mix to catch Wakefield, so Martinez appeared more than ready to give it a shot once the venerable 43-year-old knuckleballing older statesman returns from the disabled list.
“I actually caught Wakefield’s bullpen and then I went right afterward to the knuckleball machine just in case. You never know,” said Martinez. “You know what. I came here to win and came here to play like I always played. Came here to play hard and I’ll do anything I can to help this team win, you know.
“I’m more than happy to (catch Wakefield) and if I get a chance to do it I’m going to do my best.”
If Martinez is able to adroitly handle the floating, fluttering path of Wakefield’s knuckler, that would almost certainly leave George Kottaras out of the mix for the 25-man roster until roster numbers expand on Sept. 1. Holding three catchers on the roster over the next 2-3 weeks would appear to be a roster luxury that Boston can’t necessarily afford while battling for their Wild Card playoff life.
Kottaras has been on the 15-day disabled list with a strained back, but is scheduled to catch Wakefield during his Saturday start at Triple-A.
