Tim Wakefield Obituary: 19-year Major Leaguer, two-time World Series champion Tim Wakefield dies following battle with cancer
Tim Wakefield Obituary: 19-year Major Leaguer, two-time World Series champion Tim Wakefield dies following battle with cancer.
American professional baseball knuckleball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Tim Wakefield has died.
Wakefield died of brain cancer, aged 57 on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
In September 2023, Curt Schilling, Wakefield’s former Red Sox teammate, revealed on his podcast that Wakefield had brain cancer while Wakefield’s wife was battling pancreatic cancer. Schilling was widely criticized by ex-teammates’ families and the public alike for not seeking the permission of the Wakefield family before revealing this news. With permission from the Wakefield family, the Red Sox released a statement asking for privacy and appreciating the public’s concern.
Wakefield began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates but is most remembered for his 17-year tenure with the Boston Red Sox, from 1995 until his retirement in 2012 as the longest-serving player on the team. When he retired, Wakefield was the oldest active player in the major leagues.
Wakefield won his 200th career game on September 13, 2011, and he ranks third in career wins in Red Sox franchise history (186), behind Cy Young and Roger Clemens. He is second in all-time wins at Fenway Park with 97, behind Clemens’s 100, and is the all-time leader in innings pitched by a Red Sox pitcher, with 3,006, having surpassed Clemens’s total of 2,777 on June 8, 2010. Wakefield was an All-Star in 2009 and he won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2010.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tim Wakefield, 19-year Major Leaguer, two-time World Series champion, 2009 AL All-Star, and the 2010 Roberto Clemente Award winner,” MLB wrote in a social media post.
“Tim embodied the finest qualities as a teammate, a competitor, and a caring man. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Wakefield family and all who knew and loved Tim.”
