Tim Wakefield

The Red Sox pulled out all the stops to honor former pitcher Tim Wakefield before Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Mariners. Former teammates - including Doug Mirabelli, Mike Timlin, and Mike Stanley - along with relatives and friends of the recently retired knuckleballer turned out for "Thanks, Wake" Day at Fenway Park. The pregame ceremony, emceed by NESN's Don Orsillo, featured a heartfelt speech by the Red Sox' David Ortiz, and a touching moment when members of the ex-pitcher's charity, Wakefield's Warriors, emerged from center field and surrounded an emotional Wakefield.

Who says Josh Beckett has lost a little off his fastball? With statistical studies claiming that his average velocity has dropped from 94.7 miles per hour in his first year with the Red Sox (2006) to 91.5 this year, Beckett showed Tuesday that he still has gas left in his tank. On his 32d birthday, Beckett combined with Rich Hill and Alfredo Aceves to throw a four-hit shutout, 5-0, over the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park, with Beckett recording nine strikeouts. "He belongs on that hill," said manager Bobby Valentine after the Sox closed out a six-game home stand with...

Tim Wakefield got to throw one more knuckleball at Fenway Park. The Red Sox honored Wakefield on Tuesday afternoon with a ceremony before Boston's game against Seattle. He wiped away a few tears during all the accolades for both his 17 seasons of pitching and his charitable work, which earned him the Roberto Clemente Award in 2010. Boston brought in former catcher Doug Mirabelli to catch the ceremonial first pitch, which was a knuckler that floated to the right of home plate.

The Red Sox pulled out all the stops to honor former pitcher Tim Wakefield before Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Mariners. Former teammates - including Doug Mirabelli, Mike Timlin, and Mike Stanley - along with relatives and friends of the recently retired knuckleballer turned out for "Thanks, Wake" Day at Fenway Park. The pregame ceremony, emceed by NESN's Don Orsillo, featured a heartfelt speech by the Red Sox' David Ortiz, and a touching moment when members of the ex-pitcher's charity, Wakefield's Warriors, emerged from center field and surrounded an emotional Wakefield.

By Chad Finn, Globe Staff Tim Wakefield, the third-winningest and longest-tenured pitcher in Red Sox history, announced his retirement this afternoon at a brief but emotional press conference at Jet Blue Park in Ft. Myers, Fla. "This has been the hardest thing I ever had to do, so it's with a heavy heart that I stand here today to say that I've decided to retire from the game of baseball," said Wakefield. "Ever since I was a little boy, all I ever wanted to do was play baseball," he said, wearing a dark suit and occasionally pausing to compose himself.

Bill Greene/Globe Staff By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent The Red Sox honored former pitcher Tim Wakefield before they played the Mariners on Tuesday at Fenway Park. Former teammates -- including Mike Timlin and Mike Stanley -- along with relatives and friends of the recently retired knuckleballer turned out for "Thanks, Wake" Day. NESN's Don Orsillo was the emcee for the event, which featured a heartfelt speech by the Red Sox's David Ortiz, and a touching moment when members of Tim Wakefield's charity, Wakefield's Warriors, emerged from...

By Andrew Mooney, Boston.com Correspondent Tim Wakefield has made a long career out of spectacularly average pitching. Sure, he's first in Red Sox history in innings pitched and second in both wins and strikeouts, but he's also the runaway leader in losses (by 43), runs allowed (by 608), home runs allowed (by 201), hits allowed (by 541), and walks (by 226). His place in history has been secured by longevity rather than standout performance. Here's a look at the average pitching statistics recorded over the span of Wakefield's career, adjusted...

These comments via the Red Sox: Jason Varitek: "There is so much to say about Wake. He has been a part of so many things and he's meant so much to the game, the organization, the community, and personally as a friend and teammate for 14 years. He is a consummate professional with a one-of-a-kind talent that allowed this team flexibility, dependability, and endurance for 17 years. His competitiveness will be missed but his legacy and friendship will last a lifetime. It's sad to see it end but this will be an exciting new chapter for him...

Tim Wakefield, the third-winningest and longest-tenured pitcher in Red Sox history, announced his retirement this afternoon at a brief but emotional press conference at Jet Blue Park in Ft. Myers, Fla. "This has been the hardest thing I ever had to do, so it's with a heavy heart that I stand here today to say that I've decided to retire from baseball," said Wakefield, who made his major league debut in 1992 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, joining...

Here are the lineups: RED SOX (4-9) Aviles SS Sweeney RF Pedroia 2B Gonzalez 1B Ortiz DH Youkilis 3B Saltalamacchia C Ross CF McDonald LF Pitching: LHP Felix Doubront (0-0, 5.40) YANKEES (8-6 Jeter DH Swisher RF Cano 2B Rodriguez 3B Teixeira 1B, Granderson CF Jones LF Martin C Nunez SS Pitching: RHP Freddy Garcia (0-1, 6.97) Game time: 4:05 p.m. sw TV/Radio: FOX / WEEI, WCBS Song of the Day: "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day. Yankees vs. Doubront: ...

The Red Sox pulled out all the stops to honor former pitcher Tim Wakefield before Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Mariners. Former teammates - including Doug Mirabelli, Mike Timlin, and Mike Stanley - along with relatives and friends of the recently retired knuckleballer turned out for "Thanks, Wake" Day at Fenway Park. The pregame ceremony, emceed by NESN's Don Orsillo, featured a heartfelt speech by the Red Sox' David Ortiz, and a touching moment when members of the ex-pitcher's charity, Wakefield's Warriors, emerged from center field and surrounded an emotional Wakefield.

The Seattle Mariners' visit to Boston was just two games. It probably felt much longer. The Mariners were shut out by the Red Sox 5-0 on Tuesday. Seattle finished with just four hits as Boston starter Josh Beckett struck out a season-high nine batters. Seattle had a total of 12 hits in the in the short series and was outscored 11-1. "We've got to do a better job of working it on down the line and trying to get the ball rolling from one hitter to the next and on down," manager Eric Wedge said.

The Red Sox honored former pitcher Tim Wakefield before they played the Mariners on Tuesday at Fenway Park. Former teammates -- including Mike Timlin and Mike Stanley -- along with relatives and friends of the recently retired knuckleballer turned out for "Thanks, Wake" Day. NESN's Don Orsillo was the emcee for the event, which featured a heartfelt speech by the Red Sox's David Ortiz, and a touching moment when members of Tim Wakefield's...

BOSTON (AP) — Josh Beckett redeemed himself less than a week after being booed off the mound, striking out a season-high nine as the Boston Red Sox shut out the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Tuesday and extended their winning streak to five. Beckett (3-4) scattered four hits over seven innings before being pulled as a steady rain started to fall late in the afternoon. Beckett was celebrating his 32nd birthday and could not have atoned better for his previous start, when he was pulled after allowing seven runs in 2 1-3 innings.

By Michael Vega, Globe staff Who says Josh Beckett has lost a little off his fastball? Despite reports based upon statistical studies detailing the decline of his velocity from 94.7 miles per hour his season year with the Red Sox in 2006 to 91.5 this season, Beckett proved he still had a little gas left in his tank by celebrating his 32d birthday with a 5-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners Tuesday at Fenway Park. The object of much derision for playing golf, eating fried chicken and drinking beer, the defiant righthander seemed to work his way into the good graces of an angry Red Sox Nation...

Bill Greene/Globe Staff By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent The Red Sox honored former pitcher Tim Wakefield before they played the Mariners on Tuesday at Fenway Park. Former teammates -- including Mike Timlin and Mike Stanley -- along with relatives and friends of the recently retired knuckleballer turned out for "Thanks, Wake" Day. NESN's Don Orsillo was the emcee for the event, which featured a heartfelt speech by the Red Sox's David Ortiz, and a touching moment when members of Tim Wakefield's charity, Wakefield's Warriors, emerged from center field and...