On October 1, 2023, Boston Red Sox legend Tim Wakefield, who in 2004 assisted the franchise in winning its first championship in 86 years, passed away at the age of 57. His 53-year-old wife Stacy lost her fight with pancreatic cancer just five months later. Feb. 28, 2024: “Our hearts are beyond broken,” the Wakefield family announced in a statement.
The Red Sox revealed that the 200-win pitcher had been unwell prior to Tim’s passing. Without getting permission from Tim or his family, his former colleague Curt Schilling disclosed that the knuckleballer suffered from brain cancer.
Tim was one of the few players in the current period to play nearly exclusively with a knuckleball, a pitch from a bygone era. Although his on-field achievements were widely known, he was also well-liked for his off-field contributions; in 2010, he was honoured with the Roberto Clemente Award for good sportsmanship and community service. (ESP claims that Tim was nominated eight times by the Red Sox for the prize.) He frequently paid hospital visits to ailing children in the Boston region and organised fundraisers for the Jimmy Fund, which fights paediatric cancer.
Following Tim’s passing, a large number of his former teammates—as well as some well-known fans—took to social media to openly grieve him.
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