It was fitting that pitchers and longtime rivals Mariano Rivera of the Yankees and Tim Wakefield of the Red Sox reached milestones within hours of each other on Tuesday night. Both are associated with one pitch. Both have been with their current teams since 1995. And both have been trouble-free, locker room constants.
But while Rivera’s 600 saves are all about maximizing his enormous talent and his mastery of the cut fastball, Wakefield’s 200 wins have more to do with resilience and sticking with the pitch no one ever really masters, the knuckleball.
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Many of the pages of Jim Bouton’s fabulous baseball book, “Ball Four,” were dedicated to his trials and tribulations with baseball’s most elusive pitch — unhittable one day, uncontrollable the next.
Wakefield’s career reflects the fickle nature of the knuckleball. His rookie season was the best of his career. After a July call-up from the Pirates in 1992, Wakefield went 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA, plus two complete-game wins over the Braves in the NLCS.
But the following year, he was 6-11 with a 5.61 ERA and finished the season in the minor leagues. Two years later, he was back up with the Red Sox and went 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA.
In his 17 seasons in Boston, Wakefield, 45, has filled a variety of roles, from full-time starter, to long reliever, to spot starter and even closer in 1999 when he had 15 saves.
While Wakefield’s employment has always been a year-to-year proposition, no one has ever questioned Rivera’s job security since he became the Yankees’ closer in 1997.
At 41, Rivera is enjoying another stellar season, 41 saves in 59 appearances with a 0.93 WHIP. With one more save, he will match Trevor Hoffman for the most in baseball history.
There is no longer a need to add the word “arguably,” when calling Rivera the best reliever in baseball history. His postseason record (0.71 ERA, 0.776 WHIP) is unmatched. He is to closers what Jerry Rice is to wide receivers — the greatest, end of discussion.
– Kevin Dunleavy
