Knuckler by Tim Wakefield with Tony Massarotti Exceprt

8/7/2019 Knuckler by Tim Wakefield with Tony Massarotti Exceprt

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TIM WAKEFIELDwithTony MassaroTTiforeword by phl ek


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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Bs Nw Y

2011

KnucklerM y L i f e w i t h B a s e b a l l s

M o s t C o n f o u n d i n g

P i t c h

Tm Wkfiwith

y Mss

Foreword by

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opyright 2011 by Tim akefeld

ll rights reserved

For inormation about permission to reproduce selections rom this book,

write to Permissions, Houghton Mi in Harcourt Publishing ompany,

215 Park venue outh, ew York, ew York 10003.

www.hmhbooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

akefeld, Tim.

Knuckler : my lie with baseballs most conounding pitch / Tim akefeld with Tony Massarotti.

p. cm.

ummary: The story o one o baseballs most unlikely successesa knuckleball pitcher who

has outlived, outmatched, and outsmarted the dancing pitch

Provided by publisher.ISBN 978-0-547-51769-8 (hardback)

1. akefeld, Tim. 2. aseball playersUnited tatesiography. 3. Pitchers (aseball)United

tatesiography. 4. Pitching (aseball)necdotes. . Massarotti, Tony. . Title.

GV865.W3347A3 2011

796.357092dc22 2010049848

ook design by rian Moore

Printed in the United tates o merica

DOC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1


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One

Hes so consistent with a pitch thats not consistent. You lookup in the sixth or seventh inning and hes got a chance to win.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona speaking

about Tim Wakefield, March 2010

O

n J u n e 8 , 2010, with one out in the seventh inning o

his 538th career appearance with the oston Red ox, Timakefeld amiliarly stood on the pitchers mound, glove

resting near his le hip, right arm comortably hanging at his side, as

he peered in toward home plate. He was already behind in the count,

two balls and no strikes. s ndians slugger Russell ranyan settled into

the batters box at Progressive Field in downtown leveland, akefeld

eased back and spun on his right oot, reaching into his glove or the

pitch that would soon make him the all-time innings leader in Red

ox history, an achievement ar more commendable than most anyonewould care to acknowledge.

knuckleball? o, no, nonot in this caseand perhaps there is

a good measure o irony in that. n recording the 8,329th out o his 16-

year Red ox careermore outs than any other pitcher in the history

o a storied ranchiseakefeld threw afastballclocked at 73 miles

per hour, inducing a pop-up that saely landed in the glove o teammate

and shortstop Marco cutaro. That was it. That was the instant whenakefeld reached precisely 2,776 innings, literally a raction more

than the 2,776 recorded by longtime Red ox ace Roger lemens, add-


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ing urther accomplishment to a workmanlike career during which his

most signifcant contributions had oen been disguised and one in

which he had negotiated and endured the whims, eccentricities, andunpredictable dips and turns o baseballs most maddening, mystiy-

ing, and unpredictable pitch.

Even against ranyan, aer all, akefeld had to work around the

knuckleball as much as he relied on it, resorting to his oxymoronic

fastball, which barely qualifed or a speeding ticket, to record the out

that distinguished him rom every other pitcher who had worn the

oston uniorm rom lemens to y Young to urt chilling, Pedro

Martinez, abe Ruth, and beyond.Hes a very unassuming guy, but hes been the glue thats held that

pitching sta together or a long time. Thats a act, said ormer Red

ox general manager an uquette, who brought akefeld to oston

in 1995, when the pitchers career seemed to be in ruins. Hes the con-

summate organization man. He was always available to the team. He

made a huge contribution to the team and to the community.

For Red ox general manager Theo Epstein, who inherited akefeldupon taking over the Red ox M position in ovember 2003 and

would re-sign him to a succession o contracts, it was akefelds con-

nection with ans that was most striking.

Theres something about a knuckleballer that generates empathy

in ans, Epstein said. Even though it couldnt be urther rom the

truth, its just hard to shake the thought that, Hey, hes only throwing

68 [miles per hour] that could be me out there! Fans dont eel that

way about guys who throw 95 [mph]. etween the knuckler, his every-man demeanor, and his incredible contributions to the community, its

no surprise that ake is a avorite o so many ans. Unortunately, or

many o the same reasons, the quality o his on-feld contribution oen

gets overlooked. Hes had a great careerone that anybody would be

proud oand has been an essential ingredient on some really good

teams. side rom all the records and being part o two world cham-

pionship clubs, that paradox is what stands out about akes legacy tome. For a guy who was oen underrated and sometimes overlooked,

he was completely loved and embraced by Red ox ans. That means

a lot.

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ndeed, or an array o reasons, akefeld grew to be loved in oston,

a very traditional, guarded, and skeptical city where sel-promotion

is rowned upon, social responsibility is stressed, and group thinkingis encouraged. s surely as akefeld became part o the Red ox in

1995, he also became part o the city. He routinely participated in char-

itable endeavors or the Jimmy Fund and oston hildrens Hospital

as surely as he did or the pace oast Early ntervention enter in

his native Melbourne, Florida. t the end o the 2010 major league

baseball season, akefeld had fnally won the award or which he

had been nominated seven times: the prestigious and comprehensive

Roberto lemente ward. amed or the philanthropic Hall o Famerwho began his career in Pittsburgh, like akefeld, this annual award

goes to the major leaguer who best exemplifes the game o baseball,

sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individuals contri-

bution to his team.

The Red ox, too, recognized this quality in akefeld as surely as

anyone. hen the team mailed out a brochure highlighting its com-

munity contributions in 2010, akefeld was the frst player eaturedin it; on a similar billboard overlooking the Massachusetts Turnpike,

akefeld was the only player pictured.

He has a wonderul reputation in baseball, said commissioner

llan ud elig. e take or granted all the really decent human

beings we have in the major leagues. Tim akefeld ranks at the top o

the list.

mid all o that, o course, akefeld also distinguished himsel as a

pitcher, no small eat given his reliance on the schizophrenic knuckler,which can destroy careers as easilyor perhaps more easilyas it can

build them. y defnition, the knuckleball is fckle. The knuckleball

is wild. The idea is to relinquish almost all control and unleash the

knuckleball in such a manner that its natural tendencies take hold, al-

lowing the pitch to crazily oat, utter, and, ultimately, ummox.

The risks are enormous, and the rewards potentially great.

n his 16 seasons as a member o the Red ox, akefeld did notmerely pitch more innings than any pitcher in ranchise history; he

also made more starts. He requently sacrifced himsel or the greater

good while simultaneously winning more games than all but two pitch-

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ers in Red ox history, y Young and Roger lemens the ormer the

namesake o baseballs greatest pitching honor, the latter a pitcher who

won that award a record seven timesproving that you could be a

team player andbe celebrated individually, the sports worlds equiva-

lent o think globally, act locally. Tim akefeld was proo that you

could be true to yoursel by being true to your team, that success with

something perceived as warily as the knuckleball was really just a mat-

ter o perspective.

t just means that ve persevered, akefeld said when asked

to reect on his career and accomplishments. ve started, relieved,

closed. m kind o proud that ve been able to do a lot and pitch in alot o games. t means a lot, but really dont think it has sunk in yet.

think things can get overlooked when somebody stays in one place

or a long time. You get young guys who come in, and theyre like, Hes

old, but lets look at why hes been here so long. think that gets over-

looked sometimes, to be honest with you.

n act, as akefeld climbed to the top o the Red ox record book

during his fnal seasons, his career achievements became more likeitems on a checklist and less like mileposts worthy o recognition. n

2009, or instance, aer making the 380th start o his Red ox career,

akefeld stood with his uniorm top unbuttoned in a corner door-

way o an emptying conerence room at historic Fenway Park ollow-

ing a relatively methodical 82 dispatching o the Florida Marlins

that had improved his record to a sparkling 93. s he approached

his 43rd birthday, he was having another good year and was on the

way to his frst career appearance at the ll-tar ame. akefeld hadenjoyed other, similar runs during his Red ox career some bet-

ter, some worsebut the end result was almost always a remarkable

consistency that Red ox ans, above all others, seemed to appreciate.

nd yet, in this case and many others, almost nobody was aware that

akefeld had just made the 380th start o his Red ox career, two shy

o lemenss club record o 382. t was an achievement ar more worthy

o recognition than anyone had taken the time to acknowledge.n the end, aer all, what real dierence did two starts make? n

a career marked by 380 starts, two games signifed a dierence o



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roughly 0.5 percent. hether akefeld fnished at 380 or 382 games

started, the conclusion was the same. His legacy had been orged. He

had become, against all odds, part o the background, one o the mostreliable and dependable pitchers in baseball history, particularly given

that he pitched in a city and or a ranchise that requently devoured

its own.

The Red ox have been part o the culture in oston or well over

a century, their history defned by everything rom pure heartbreak

(most requently) to unfltered glory (more recently). onsequently,

loyal ollowers o the team have prided themselves a great deal on per-

severance, grit, determination. Red ox ans have long since learned toshow up or work the next day, no matter what, and they have mem-

orized all o the clichs that celebrate the most noteworthy achieve-

ments. Slow and steady wins the race. When the going gets tough, the

tough get going. Focus on the journey, not on the destination. n retro-

spect, no one more perectly reected those qualities than akefeld,

who had resurrected his career on more than one occasion and who

continued to push orward

methodically, deliberately, undeterred.nd yet, when it came to instances like this and many others,

akefelds achievements seemed to materialize out o thin air. Red

ox ans, too, sometimes could be distracted by the ash and glitz o

the stars who came and wentmen like lemens, Mo aughn, omar

arciaparra, Manny Ramirez, avid rtiz. The list went on and on.

Even oston seemed to take akefeld or granted sometimes, to over-

look him entirely, to orget that the most commendable achievements

can take place over years and years and years, like a steady, continuousconstruction project.

nd then, one day, there it was.

aseball was something o a religion in oston, where the Red

ox, especially, were a passion, obsession, addiction, and psychosis

all wrapped into one. (ometimes almost wonder i its a sickness,

akefeld chuckled.) The game was seen as a true test o endurance,

where consistency and longevity reected an ability both to perormand to survive. The Red ox were dissected and analyzed over and

over again, especially by those who deemed themselves to be card-car-

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rying members oRed Sox Nation, a an base that sometimes seemed

as widespread as slam. ll o that should have made akefeld an

obvious ocus as he moved toward the end o an accomplished, hard-working career defned by resourceulness and resiliency, i or no

other reason than the act that oston was the kind o place where

even the smallest sacrifces were recognized by a Red ox ollowing

that typically paid great care to detail.

ith akefeld, however, his career was greater than any individual

year. y the end, a man who rarely received top billing had compiled a

rsum that was, in many ways, like no other in team history.

think ve stayed under the radar my whole career. ve never got-ten too high or too low that has helped me [survive], akefeld said.

think there are a couple o reasons have a connection with people

here. think bust my butt and never make excuses, and think they

appreciate that. think care about the team more than care about

mysel. think put the team frst, and think thats very much ap-

preciated by the ans because they get that side o it. nd just think,

rom a philosophy standpoint, outside o baseball, think they get thatside o me, too. care about the community, like everybody else. care

about the neighborhood. give my time. care about the community

that live in and the community that supports us on a daily basis.

ve tried to stay humble or as long as can, he said.

ndeed, while maintaining a healthy dose o humility the knuckler,

too, will do that to a manakefeld had long since decided that he

wanted to pitch in no other place than oston, where he elt the aore-

mentioned connection rom the moment he arrived. He saw oston asar more intimate than many o the bigger merica cities ts more

o a blue-collar, deep-rooted neighborhood that cares about its own,

he saidand that was, o course, how he saw himsel. The glitz o ew

York or Los ngeles never really lured him. The idea o a nomadic

existence never really appealed. n an age when proessional athletes

requently were urged to market their services, to take the best deal

available, akefeld was an absolute anachronism, a man whose val-ues le him terribly out o place. n those instances when ree agency

beckoned, akefeld irted with homier, more comortable places



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like Minneapolis the Minnesota Twins, too, had a amily-type en-

vironment than he did with bigger, louder metropolitan areas. He

grew up in Melbourne, Florida. He began his career in Pittsburgh. Forakefeld, oston was the perect landing spot, a place where the ans

took their baseball seriously, but where citizenship mattered. More

than anything else in his career, akefeld had always wanted to be-

long. s such, he had never really tried to leave oston, and the Red

ox had never really looked to dispose o him. They had built the kind

o gold-watch relationship that had generally ceased to exist elsewhere

in baseball.

just dont understand how some people can separate the personalside o it, he said.

s much as anyone else, Tim akefeld saw himsel as the last o a

dying breed.

y the time akefeld concluded 2009 and signed what looked to

be a fnal, two-year contract that would keep him with the Red ox

through the 2011 baseball season, he was one o a unique group o ma-

jor league players

and not solely because he was one o the ew inhistory to have mastered the knuckleball. akefeld was one o only

19 pitchers in baseball history to have spent at least 15 seasons with

a single ranchise; along with the incomparable ew York Yankees

closer Mariano Rivera, he was one o only two active pitchers in the

game (and the only starter) to have remained with the same team since

the start o the 1995 season. nd somewhat incredibly, akefeld had

spent more time with the Red ox than any pitcher in the history o the

organization, an accomplishment that only grew in magnitude whenone considered that akefeld did so while making the journey with

his impulsive knuckler, a pitch that requently operates as i it has a

mind o its own and one that had caused him as much angst and anxi-

ety as it gave him dignity and delight.

y that point, akefeld had long since accepted the act that the

knuckleball was as much a part o him as the wins and the innings, the

number 49 he wore on his back, and the mustache and goatee he hadsported throughout his stint with the Red ox. The knuckler could

inspire both wonder and ear. The knuckleball had produced some o

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times and made our trips to the orld eries, losing all our chances

at a title in the maximum seven games. The Red ox were always good

enough to contend and awed enough to ailqualities that made

them the perect landing place or someone like akefeld, whose ca-

reer had ollowed a similar track thanks to the unreliable nature o his

avorite pitch. hen he was good, akefeld could be very, very good.

ut when he was bad, he could be very, very bad.

nd sometimes he could be both within a matter o seconds.

The Red ox had taken on their identity long beore akefelds

arrival, however, thanks largely to Ted illiams, the Hall o Fame le

felder who debuted in 1939 and remained with the club through 1960.eginning with The Kidand illiams was, in some ways, a boy

king the Red ox had assembled a line o royalty like ew organiza-

tions in proessional sports. illiams batted .327 with 31 home runs

and 145 R as a 20-year-old rookie in 1939, launching a truly legend-

ary career that produced a .344 career average and 521 home runs

despite time lost to serve his country during orld ar and the

Korean ar. He became a truly iconic fgure in merican history andwas widely regarded in the baseball world as the greatest hitter who

ever lived. illiamss Red ox played in just one orld eries, losing

to the t. Louis ardinals in 1946, and it was during his career that the

Red ox began to take on the identity o their star player. That problem

would plague them or decades.

s much as baseball is a team sport, aer all, the nature and pace o

the game spotlight individual responsibilities and talents. The specta-

tors eye needs only to ollow the ball. s analysts scrutinize individualperormances aer the game, they oen lose track o the larger objec-

tives. n baseball, sacrifces are easily overshadowed, particularly in the

absence o group success.

went through the bad years there. remember when, on a Friday

night, you were lucky to have 10,000 people in the stands, said Hall o

Famer and Red ox great arl Yastrzemski, who succeeded illiams

in le feld. you didnt go three-or-our or something like that, youcould throw meat up into the stands and they would have devoured it.

mean, od, it was tough to play.

nce illiams retired, the Red ox became Yastrzemskis team,

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and then the property o Jim Rice when Yaz le. Like illiams, both

Yastrzemski and Rice were le felders and accomplished hitters

whose individual perormances would land them in the Hall o Fame;like illiams, each played an entire career without winning a orld

eries championship. ll three players spent their entire careers play-

ing or a Red ox organization owned by Thomas . Yawkey, his wie,

Jean, or the Yawkey Trust, which endured well beyond the deaths o

the Yawkeys. Tom Yawkey drew much criticism or how the Red ox

seemed to coddle their star players. side rom being the last organi-

zation in baseball to integrate, the Red ox oen were accused o oper-

ating with a country club mentality, a suggestion that the inmates ranthe asylum. The perception that the elite players oen had more power

than the manager or whom they played created both great instabil-

ity in the managers o ce at Fenway Park and a culture that placed

the individual beore the team. eginning in 1948 just short o the

midpoint o illiamss career the Red ox would not have a single

manager last as long as fve consecutive ull seasons until aer the turn

o the century, and that was hardly a coincidence. n the Fenway Parkclubhouse that served as both a sanctuary and a locker room or Red

ox players, the Red ox had a clear hierarchy. illiams handed his

crown to Yastrzemski, who handed it to Rice, and so orth. The orga-

nization was segregated on many levels.

Those policies began to change in the late 1980s, but only because

Rice placed the scepter in the hands o a pitcher instead o a positional

player. lemens made his debut or the team as a highly touted rookie

in 1984, but he did not ully blossom until 1986, the last productiveyear o Rices career. Just as Rice was about to begin ading, lemens

ascended. Triggered by a historic 20-strikeout perormance against the

eattle Mariners on pril 29, 1986, lemens raced o to an unorget-

table 140 start that season and fnished the year at a sterling 244,

winning both the Most aluable Player ward (his frst and only) and

the y Young ward (his frst o seven) while bringing the Red ox

this close to a victory over the ew York Mets in the 1986 orld eries.Though the ox ultimately ailedagain in seven games aer a crush-

ing collapse in ame 6 there was nonetheless a sentiment that the



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Red ox had entered a new era in their history built on the young,

bullish lemens, the kind o ace and cornerstone pitcher the Red ox

had so oen lacked.lemens, in act, requently reerred to pitching as having been a

second-class citizen beore his rise to power in ostonand he was

right.

Following his breakthrough season o 1986, lemens spent ten more

seasons in oston and won two more y Young wards (1987, 1991),

which only added to the individual awards won by illiams (merican

League MP in 1946 and 1949), Yastrzemski (L MP in 1967), and

Rice (L MP in 1978). The Red ox qualifed or the postseason threemore times during lemenss stint with the team in 1988, 1990, and

1995but they never again reached the orld eries. lemens le the

team via ree agency ollowing the 1996 season in what proved to be a

landmark change in the clubs historyunlike illiams, Yastrzemski,

and Rice, lemens would not play his entire career in oston. Under

a bold and controversial general manager named an uquette, the

Red ox seemed to be intent on reclaiming the rule o their own king-dom aer having let their players run roughshod or a good chunk o

the century. (For what its worth, one oston sports columnist called

uquette ictator an throughout his tenure with the team.)

n keeping with a Red ox tradition established prior to orld ar

, however, the Red ox continued to operate more like an aristoc-

racy, the regal lemens starting his own line o kings. This time the

royal bloodline o the oston clubhouse ran not to le feld but rather

to the pitchers mound. ne year to the day aer lemens snubbedthe Red ox to sign with the Toronto lue Jays, uquette acquired

Pedro Martinez rom the Montreal Expos in a blockbuster trade.

Just as illiams begot Yastrzemski, who begot Rice, lemens begot

Martinez, who begot urt chilling, who begot Josh eckett, who be-

got Jon Lester. long the way, the Red ox fnally changed owners and,

thankully, cultures, transitioning rom a team that overvalued its su-

perstars to one that preached the team concept and togetherness, com-mitment and dedication.

K n u c k l e r |11

Documents

Knuckler by Tim Wakefield with Tony Massarotti Exceprt