Red Sox Monster considers the void left by the departure of Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek.
Tim Wakefield is a surefire future member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame.I was closing in on my senior year of high school when my brothers and I sat behind home plate at Fenway Park for the first and only time.
It was a major event for us, of course. My father had won box seat tickets to the a Red Sox-A's game on Aug. 17, 1999, and we were excited to go with him. Every pitch would be this close, it seemed.
Murphy's Law kicked in. Red Sox starter Bret Saberhagen left the game after the second inning with a frayed rotator cuff after giving up four runs in the second inning, and the Red Sox bullpen coughed up eight more in the seventh. Final score: 12-1.
In addition to the all-around sweetness of sitting in the Cool Kid seats with Pops Lamothe, the best part of watching the game that night was witnessing Tim Wakefield's knuckleball dance. Like so many other times, he took pressure off Boston's bullpen, pitching 4 1/3 innings on short notice. The following game, the Sox relied heavily on its rested relief corps to beat the A's, 7-4.
It was that performance that came to mind first as the pitcher announced his retirement Friday after pitching 17 seasons in Boston. In may ways, it is perfectly emblematic for what he is: a selfless leader who sacrificed his own statistics when it helped the team as a whole.
The catcher in that game was none other than Jason Varitek. Together, they've played in thousands of Red Sox games. Wakefield made his debut for Boston in 1995, quickly becomiing an unlikely Cy Young candidate on his way to a 16-8 season. Varitek made his debut in 1997, and became a regular fixture in Boston's lineup the following season.
Much has been written about Wakefield since his announcement. He has been remembered as a team player, a classy philanthropist and the master of a dying craft -- throwing the knuckleball.
All are true, but I think it's important to remember just how long he has been a fixture in the Red Sox organization. His contributions have ebbed and flowed in recent seasons, but he's been there in some of Boston's biggest moments of need. Without him taking a big hit and staying in the game during the Yankees' 19-8 blowout win in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, it's hard to picture Boston roaring back with a relatively rested bullpen to win the next four games in historic, improbable fashion.
Theo Epstein, then general manager of the Red Sox, introduces Jason Varitek as the team's captain in 2004.As for Varitek, it seems all but apparent that he'll likely announce his own retirement in coming days. Outside of Carlton Fisk, he's the best catcher Boston has ever had. He'll be remembered not only as a leader who put his pitchers at ease, but as the Man Who Gave A-Rod a Face Full of Leather.
Like Wakefield, Varitek's contributions have dwindled in the last few years. His longterm stature in the organization is secure, however. Should he decide to become a manager in a few seasons, the team who hires him will be lucky to have him.
In a moment of transition like this, it's important to remember how far we've come as fans during their long careers. We still live and die with many of the games, but no longer do we simply assume the Red Sox will fail down the stretch.
They won it in our lifetimes -- twice. Varitek and Wakefield are key reasons why.