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.

Hyzdu's Heartbreak

This is a relatively old story, so you may have heard about it before. But I just wanted to write a little about it because I found it really interesting, and I especially like the audio.

Adam Hyzdu broke into the minors at the age of 18 in 1990, but his first appearance in the majors wasn't until 2000 when he debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hyzdu had been going back and forth from double-A to triple-A for quite a while. He had seven hits in his first 18 at bats, but was sent back down to the minors.

With the Red Sox in 2005, Hyzdu helped defeat the Yankees in a game by hitting a double. He made it onto the Sox playoff roster that year, but never got an at bat. He was on deck when David Ortiz made the final out of the season.

Hyzdu has played parts of 18 seasons in the minors, accumulating playing time in 1,750 minor league games.

You can listen to the audio here. There are a couple of different entries to listen to, but they are all great.

It's too bad that he couldn't find some consistent playing time. At least he did eventually make the major leagues, but didn't have enough of an impact to remain there for long.

Post your comments. What do you think about this? And how many other players are going through situations similar to this?