Each time, sad-eyed Wake said the right things. It wasn’t about personal glory. It was all about the team.
Then came an ugly-wrapped gift. The Sox staggered through a dismal 1-6 road trip, drawing comparisons to the ’64 Phillies, the ’78 Sox, and the fall of Saigon.
When the Sox got back to Fenway last night, no one was talking about Wakefield’s 200th. It truly was about the team, not about individual honor. The Sox were in full-blown crisis mode.
In this spirit of team above self, Wakefield delivered. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win; a win the Sox needed badly.
Wakefield and the Sox pummeled the Blue Jays, 18-6, at Fenway (special thanks to wrecking ball Dustin Pedroia, who had two homers, a double, and a sac fly). He gave up five runs and six hits (two homers) over six innings. He threw 96 pitches. He coughed up a couple of leads, but finished strong, retiring the Jays 1-2-3 on nine pitches in the sixth. It was still a 6-5 game at that point.
When Boston scored four times in the bottom of the sixth, manager Terry Francona felt safe turning the game over to the beleaguered bullpen. Daniel Bard failed Wake and the Sox last week when in Toronto when Wakefield handed over an 8-5 lead. But it all worked last night. Alfredo Aceves and Junichi Tazawa finished the job and Wake got the coveted 200 ball.
Two hundred wins. Not bad for a former first baseman who’s been in professional baseball since 1989. And now he is one of 89 pitchers in the modern era to win 200 games. It is something that Sandy Koufax failed to do. It is a mark of a guy who endured.
“I’m very grateful,’’ said Wakefield after he was drenched in champagne by teammates (Jonathan Papelbon’s specialty) in a postgame celebration on the Fenway lawn. “No. 1 that it’s over with. And I’m happy that it was here at Fenway Park in front of the home crowd. Having my teammates come back out of the clubhouse onto the field was special.’’
