Unlike the delayed reaction to Mariano Rivera's recent milestone, Tim Wakefield and the Boston Red Sox celebrated his 200th victory with champagne and smiles Tuesday night.
The game’s eldest player finally earned the elusive 200th victory of his career as the Boston Red Sox crushed the Toronto Blue Jays 18-6 for their first win in a week. Wakefield struggled through the entire month of August, going 0-3 over seven outings since his last win on July 24, but eventually became the 108th pitcher with 200 career wins.
The 45-year-old knuckleballer lasted six unstable innings, but retired his final six batters with a 6-5 lead after allowing six hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Then the Boston bats went nuts, including Dustin Pedroia's two longballs.
While their playoff hopes aren't as bright as they once were -- dropping their lead over the Tampa Bay Rays from nine games to three over the past week and a half -- the Sox set a season high mark for runs, to gain a game on Tampa in the American League wild-card race. Wakefield, now 7-6 with a 5.13 ERA on the season and 84 strikeouts, had this to say about his career accomplishment:
“I’m kind of speechless, but I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to wear this uniform for as long as I have and reached a milestone that I thought I’d never reach.”
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