The last Red Sox game of the 2023 season was played on October 1st with heavy hearts. Before the game the Red Sox announced that long time knuckleballer, selfless teammate, and community figure Tim Wakefield had passed at the age of 57. The two-time World Series Champion had been with the club for 17 out of 19 seasons in his career. Not only was he a Red Sox but he also joined and stayed with the team after retiring in 2011. Appearing on broadcasts and being an all-around community person for the Sox. Wakefield, or Wake for short, was a legend to Red Sox nation on and off the field.  Words cannot describe what Wake meant to the community and the game of baseball. Not only was he one of the best knuckleballers of all time but he embodied what it meant to be a Red Sox. Every day he put on that jersey he was playing for his team, not himself, not for glory, but for his team. There is plenty of evidence to back this including probably the most notable, game 3 of the 2004 ALCS where Wake ate 3.1 innings of hurt to save the team’s bullpen. Which would later on spark the greatest comeback in all of sports. Wake was more than a ballplayer though, he meant so much to everyone he ever encountered and that was prevalent today pre, during, and post-game. Pregame we got to see how much he meant to long time teammate and colleague Kevin Youkilis as he expressed shortly.

After the game we got to see what he meant to Jason Varitek and Alex Cora. There are just no words to describe how this type of loss affects the community Wake held so dearly.

I personally witnessed the end of Wake’s career and fell in love with him almost instantly. I then was introduced to him as a broadcaster, and he brought so much knowledge of the game with him in the booth. Wake was a one of a kind type of person. He was selfless and only wanted to see the Red Sox win. He tried his very best every time he put that uniform on and always wanted to see the community succeed. No one wanted to see the Red Sox win more than Wakefield and that is why he touched so many people in this community. He was the embodiment of the Red Sox and should be the ultimate standard moving forward. I am very saddened by this loss to Red Sox nation. Tim Wakefield, the father, husband, knuckleballer, broadcaster, and all around great human being will be missed dearly by Red Sox fans everywhere.