Tim Wakefield, the first baseman-turned-knuckleball pitcher who helped the Boston Red Sox win two World Series titles, has died of brain cancer at age 57.
Drafted as an infielder by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth round of the 1988 draft, Wakefield's professional start got off to a slow start as he hit just .189 in 54 minor-league games. However, during extended spring training in 1989, a Pirates coach saw Wakefield throwing a knuckleball while playing catch with a teammate and the rest is history.
Wakefield said that he learned the pitch as a boy from his father, Steve, when the two of them would play catch in the backyard at home in Melbourne, Florida.He entered the majors as a midseason call-up with the Pirates in 1992, and he immediately found fame by going 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA and then winning two more games during the National League Championship Series vs. the Atlanta Braves.
He was picked up by the Boston Red Sox as a risk-reward candidate for the 1995 season, and Wakefield again found his form, going 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA while finishing third in American League Cy Young Award voting.
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