A Look at Tim Wakefield

When someone says the name Tim Wakefield, one of the most automatic thoughts is the knuckleball, or vice versa. The 44-year-old pitcher has been on the mound for the Red Sox since 1995 and doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

After graduating from Florida Tech, Wakefield was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 8th round of the free agent draft in 1988. A scout told Wakefield that he would never make it past double A with his position skills.

At this point, Wakefield focused on improving his knuckleball that has made him so well known today. He had immediate success and it did not take long to make the majors.
In his Major League debut, Wakefield pitched a complete game against the Cardinals, striking out ten batters and throwing 146 pitches.

As the season continued, Wakefield started 13 games, going 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA. His success as a rookie earned him the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

The next season, Wakefield began to struggle and was eventually released by the pirates. Six days later, the Red Sox picked him up. He began the season with a 1.65 ERA and a 14–1 record through 17 games – six of which were complete games.
Wakefield has continued to start games for the Red Sox. At any point in any game, Wakefield’s control can come and go with ease.

He could be pitching extremely well, but then give up four runs in the next inning. So many little things can effect his pitches. The temperature, weather and wind, can all determine where the knuckleball will end up. It takes extraordinary amount of patience to watch and keep Wakefield in the game when he is struggling.

Some hitters believe they have figured out how to hit the knuckleball. If the pitch is high, it is better to swing because the ball will probably come back down into the strike zone. If it is low, let it go, since it may end up out of the strike zone.
No matter which way you look at it, it’s going to be a challenge to hit a pitch that Wakefield has perfected.

On April 27, 1993, Wakefield threw 172 pitches over 10+ innings in a game for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Atlanta Braves.

He should continue to pitch for the Sox for a few years to come. Although he is getting older and has had some injuries over the years, the knuckleballer doesn’t need much to pitch games. His durability has proved that he can still pitch at 44.