Wakefield Retires

Yesterday, veteran knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield announced his retirement from baseball. Wakefield pitched in the big leagues for almost two decades, piling up 200 wins and a double fistful of big moments for both the Pittsburgh Pirates (yes, he pitched long enough to have been there back when the Pirates were relevant) and the Boston Red Sox. Wakefield was also the lone standard-bearer for the knuckleball for many years, soldiering on when many heirs apparent to this noble art (Charlie Zink, anyone?) fell by the wayside. All in all, not a bad career for a minor league infielder who switched to pitching after hitting roughly .195.

And, true to form with all things Wakefield-related, Jason Varitek couldn't handle it, and the announcement rolled all the way to the backstop.