Wakefield truly did put it behind him. Of course he did. He's been around a long time, 12 long seasons. He has been a 17-game winner and a 15-game loser. He has been a starter, a reliever, an emergency closer in extra innings, when everyone else is too exhausted to pitch.
That's the thing about Wakefield. He's always ready to pitch.
"He wanted to get into [Game 4] on Sunday, too," said Gabe Kapler. "He was plotting some way to get out there. That's what I love about him. He wants the ball with the game on the line."
With the season hanging in the balance last night, Wakefield was handed the ball in the 12th inning. He had thrown 45-50 warmup pitches the night before, in another cliffhanger. How much could he have left? Truthfully, he didn't know.
Nor, he said, did it matter.
"I was just trying to keep us in the game," Wakefield explained, "for as long as possible."
Normally when Wakefield pitches, the catcher is Doug Mirabelli, but with offense at a premium, Jason Varitek stayed in the game. Wakefield struck out Tony Clark on three pitches, then gave up a single to left field that Manny Ramirez misplayed. Suddenly there was a runner in scoring position with one out.
Wakefield needed only two pitches to get the dangerous Derek Jeter to fly to right, and only one pitch to convince the even more menacing Alex Rodriguez to fly out to center.
As he ran off the field to end the 12th, he gave his pitching coach, Dave Wallace, the thumb's-up. He was ready to go for another. All they had to do was ask.
"He's just so awesome," gushed Wallace. "The way he went through that lineup. He stepped up in every way he could. He pitched great tonight, he was there if we needed him [Sunday] night, and he volunteered to give us innings [Saturday night]. He's just a consummate pro."
It hasn't always been easy to be Tim Wakefield. His agreeability and versatility have often worked against him. Consider that he was slated to start Game 4, but when the team ran into trouble and called his name in Game 3, he forfeited his start the next day.
