Tim Wakefield reaches 200 wins as Boston Red Sox defeat Toronto Blue Jays 18-6 – MLB Update
Tim Wakefield received applause from the fans and team-mates wet him with champagne as the hurler reached his 200th career win as the Boston Red Sox beat Toronto Blue Jays 18-6.
A right-hand ball thrower has become a real source of inspiration for the youngsters with his perfect message claiming “Age is not a hurdle in your achievements”. The 45-year-old knuckleballer shattered a chain of bad outings with his win, though not commanding
but it was valuable pitching for the Red Sox.
"I'm kind of speechless," said Wakefield, "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."
The outing was not easy for him as he received two blows, one each from J. Arencibia and Jose Bautista. These hits sent the Red Sox under 5-4 for an inning but he made a brilliant comeback and completed his six innings without permitting further runs.
Wakefield, who became part of the Red Sox after the Pittsburgh Pirates released him in 1995, was winless in his last five games and it made him think that he might never achieve 200 wins.
"It did cross my mind," he said, "But I kept telling myself that milestone doesn't determine me as a person. I have been very fortunate to live out a dream I had as a kid and I'm just thankful that it happened tonight and I'm very grateful that it happened
in front of our home crowd."
Wakefield won his last game against Minnesota Twins on August 8. Tim has a 7-6 record with a 5.13 ERA in 21 starts of the 2011 MLB regular season.
Over his 18-year Major League Baseball career, Wakefield made 199-178 record with a 4.41 ERA in 460 starts. He has 2141 strike-outs and allowed 1775 runs on 3135 hits. Wakefield now will look forward to help his club enter into the post-season. The Red Sox
chances to be in the post-season has diminished slightly after their five consecutive losses.
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