RIP Tim Wakefield

[yanoJL]

Legendary knuckle baller Tim Wakefield has passed at 57.

Tim spent 19 years in the majors and retired with a lifetime ERA of 4.41
He was instrumental in breaking the infamous "curse of the bambino" and contributed to the sweep of the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. Winning Boston's first championship in 86 years.

He was hard to hit.

 

[Kobold]

Such a shame. Great guy on and off the field. Rest in peace.

 

[Nevaditude]

Yeah, he was a good one in all the ways that matter. RIP Wake!

 

[ashdigger]

I don’t know much about baseball, but really enjoyed the documentary he was in titled “Knuckleball!!”

RIP

 

[LeafErikson]

Woah! He left rather young. I saw him play in 2004 during the regular season if I'm not mistaken. RIP.

 

[fightnhampster]

Wow! Unexpected.

 

[yanoJL]

Woah! He left rather young. I saw him play in 2004 during the regular season if I'm not mistaken. RIP.

That's really fortunate that you got to see the Red Sox (and Wake) the year they won the series after a 86 year drought.

 

[LeafErikson]

That's really fortunate that you got to see the Red Sox (and Wake) the year they won the series after a 86 year drought.

Yes it is. I actually went on a roundtrip with my father that year up the east coast from Atlanta (where I lived at the time) to New York. My father spent some of his youth in Boston and became a Red Sox fan during the 70s. That summer, I saw the Red Sox play at Turner Field in Atlanta, Fenway Park in Boston, Yankee Stadium in New York, and Camden Yards in Baltimore. It was an absolutory insane coincidence that they ended up winning the world series that year. I had one of those jersey/shirts that said Papi 34 on the back haha. Outside of Yankee stadium a few drunken Yankees fans tried to fistfight my dad until he actually stepped to them and they backed off. We were of course wearing Red Sox gear. I'm not sure what it's like nowadays but back then the Yankees and Red Sox fans had legitimate bad blood. You were risking an actual fistfight by wearing the opposing team's jersey to the other's stadium. Bear in mind I was 10 years old and these Yankee fans were still trying to fight my father with a 10 year old beside him! Crazy times.

 

[yanoJL]

Yes it is. I actually went on a roundtrip with my father that year up the east coast from Atlanta (where I lived at the time) to New York. My father spent some of his youth in Boston and became a Red Sox fan during the 70s. That summer, I saw the Red Sox play at Turner Field in Atlanta, Fenway Park in Boston, Yankee Stadium in New York, and Camden Yards in Baltimore. It was an absolutory insane coincidence that they ended up winning the world series that year. I had one of those jersey/shirts that said Papi 34 on the back haha. Outside of Yankee stadium a few drunken Yankees fans tried to fistfight my dad until he actually stepped to them and they backed off. We were of course wearing Red Sox gear. I'm not sure what it's like nowadays but back then the Yankees and Red Sox fans had legitimate bad blood. You were risking an actual fistfight by wearing the opposing team's jersey to the other's stadium. Bear in mind I was 10 years old and these Yankee fans were still trying to fight my father with a 10 year old beside him! Crazy times.

Wearing Red Sox attire to a NY Yankees home game? Now that's courage! Haha.

 

[LeafErikson]

Wearing Red Sox attire to a NY Yankees home game? Now that's courage! Haha.

haha yeah for sure. Is it pretty much still like that? Also I meant to say road trip not roundtrip. Stupid technology.

 

[yanoJL]

...Is it pretty much still like that?

It is! The rivalry dates back 120 years, and even has its own page on Wikipedia.
It is described as... "arguably the fiercest rivalry in all of American sports"

Yankees–Red Sox rivalry - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Dave760]

He was not only a star pitcher, but also a genuinely good person. He was nominated for the Roberto Clemente award eight times. And he was excellent on baseball broadcasts.

A real loss. How lucky we were to have had him for the time we did.

Requiescat in pace.

 

[Servant King]

Another ballplayer joins the Great Game In The Sky. I would imagine the knuckleball is just as hard to hit there as it is for us mere mortals.

RIP