Does Tim Wakefield have 20 wins left in him?

Wakes won again… making my case for him being the ace of the team this year even more intriguing.

He’s got 9 wins, second only to Roy Halladay and might finally make his first All Star team. (How was he NOT an All Star in 1995? He was third in the Cy Young vote that year!!!)

I have already written about the underrated awesomeness of Tim Wakefield’s tenure in Boston.

But there could be a real and tangible title for Tim Wakefield…

One that was unthinkable when he signed with the Red Sox in 1995…

One that was laughable when he was left off of the 1999 ALCS roster…

One that was more than unlikely when he served up Aaron Boone’s homer…

And one that just sounds strange despite 15 seasons in Boston and playing a big part in 7 Red Sox playoff teams including two World Series champions.

He could be the greatest winner in Red Sox history.

Not the greatest pitcher. That title is debatable.

But imagine asking the question “Who has won the most games in Red Sox history?” and having the answer being “Tim Wakefield!”

Now right now, I think the fact that there is a tie at the top is kind of cool.

A skinny Roger Clemens won 3 Cy Youngs in a Red Sox uniform.

He’s tied with Cy Young, who didn’t need an award to tell people he was Cy Young worthy.

They each have 192 wins in a Red Sox uniform.

Wakefield has 173 wins as a Red Sox pitcher.

He’s 20 wins away from being the all time team leader in wins. He’s 27 wins from being the first 200 game winner in Red Sox history, but I digress.

I want him to get those 20 wins and pass Clemens and Young.
Wakefield already has a lot of Red Sox records… ones that I’m sure he’d like to give back.

Most homers… most losses… most walks… most hits allowed… most earned runs… most wild pitchers… most starts that made Red Sox fans say “Oh PLEASE don’t suck today!”

And yet he is a stand up guy and a champion.

He deserves a great title. The most wins in Red Sox history would be kind of cool, don’t you think?

It might earn him a retired number without a Hall of Fame entry (a la Johnny Pesky.)

So let’s start the countdown! 19 to tie… 20 to pass Clemens and Young.

(I believe Cy Young is only former Red Sox great Wakefield DIDN’T play with!)

Hey Dan Cronin... Tim Wakefield ain't bad

My friend Dan Cronin is a brilliant Emmy winning writer for Conan O'Brien and one of my favorite comics.

Like me he is a Red Sox fan and a father of twins.

Unlike me he is an intense pessimist about the Red Sox.

He sent me a text message during the World Championship parade that read "Have a bad feeling about today."

The glass isn't half empty with him... it's shattered on the ground.

Eeyore would look at him and say "Christsake... cheer up!"

Last week he went to a Red Sox - Yankees game in the Bronx and when Tim Wakefield let up an early home run to Alex Rodriguez, I got a text declaring how awful Wakefield was.

He pitched 6 1/3 innings that night letting up only 3 runs as the Sox lost in 10.

A solid start.

Well guess what?

That was Wakefield's worst outing since late May.
In his last 9 starts, Wakefield has pitched into the 7th every time.

That start in New York was the only game he didn't complete at least 7 innings.
And the 3 runs allowed in the Yankee game was the biggest offensive outburst in any of the 9 games.

Now his record is only 2-3 in that stretch... but one of those losses was an 8 inning 1 run effort against Seattle. Another loss was a 7 innings 1 earned run performance against Tampa.

He's more than a back of the rotation guy.
He's eating up innings and giving the Sox a chance to win.

Plus he will never get the credit he deserves for being such a great Red Sox.

When this guy broke in with the Red Sox, Roger Clemens and Mike Greenwell were still in Fenway. Those were the last connections to 1986... and now he's still going strong as he's seen Nomar, Lowe, Pedro, El Guapo, Damon, Jimy, Grady, Meuller, Millar, Bellhorn, Hillenbrand, Urbina, Cabrera, Foulke, Kapler, Roberts, Arroyo, Embree, Trot, Wells, Renteria and Loretta come and then go.

He was there when the Sox parted ways with Clemens, Greenwell and Vaughn and he was here to welcome Papi, Manny, Schilling, Varitek and Dice K.

He was personally responsible for Doug Mirabelli's last 6 years and his 2 World Series rings.

Wakes won 16 or more games on 4 Red Sox playoff teams including last year.

And if Francisco Cabrera didn't get that hit in 1992 for the Braves and Grady Little took Pedro out at the right time... Wakefield would have won LCS MVPs in both leagues.


Now I know why there is frustration. It's all or nothing with Wakes.
The perfect example was of course the 2003 ALCS.
He was in line to win the series MVP with his clutch 2 wins against the Yankees.
But he also lost game 7 in extra innings.

Either he's brilliant or he's throwing beach balls to the plate.

Well guess what, Cronin?
He's brilliant right now... best savor it while we can.

Now CHEER UP!

In honor of John Valentin...

... a Silver Slugger award winner at shortstop who hit .298 with 27 HRs and 102 RBI for the 1995 AL Eastern Champs

... the ONLY player in baseball history to both complete an unassisted triple play and hit for the cycle.

... a team player who moved from short to second to make room for Nomar and from second to third to fill in for Naehring

... redeemed an error in a potential elimination game 3 in 1999 against Cleveland with a big home run


... the next night, also a potential elimination game, went 4-5 with 2 HRs and SEVEN RUNS BATTED IN

... and the owner of Julia's Restaurant in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 13!