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October 23, 2007
Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Red Sox manager Terry Francona, center, stands in shallow center field with pitchers Curt Schilling, left, and Tim Wakefield.
By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON _ Tim Wakefield’s season is over.
During in impromptu press conference yesterday afternoon, as the Boston Red Sox were preparing to face the Colorado Rockies in Game One of the World Series that begins tonight at Fenway Park, the veteran knuckleballer announced he was done for the season.
Due to recurring shoulder problems, the veteran knuckleballer said he spoke with Red Sox management and the club's medical staff, and the decision was made in Wakefield's best interest to shut it down for the remainder of the year.
It is believed that he will not need offseason surgery, but he will undergo extensive testing at season’s end, including an arthrogram MRI where dye is injected into the shoulder. It’s not known at this point whether it’s a rotator cuff issue or a torn labrum.
According to Wakefield, the injury began with inflammation in his shoulder, posterior shoulder and back two months ago. While Wakefield addressed his situation with the media, lefty Jon Lester was on the mound throwing a simulated game in preparation for a start that is yet to be determined.
“I really wish I was up here talking about starting Game Two,” said Wakefield. “But unfortunately that’s not the case today. After long talks with Tito, (pitching coach) John Farrell, Theo (Epstein) and advice from the doctors, with my health, it’s not going to happen.”
Wakefield said he could probably pitch in Game Two, but he would not be at 100 percent, and that’s not fair to his teammates. While dealing with this shoulder injury, he said his recovery after starts has been getting longer and longer.
“Trust me,” he said. “This stinks. As a competitor I want to be out there competing. This is the ultimate stage and this is what I’ve worked hard for since spring training and through the course of the season to get to this point.”
Wakefield, Red Sox management and the medical staff have been discussing the pitcher’s health behind closed doors for some time, according to Francona. And, at this point everyone was in agreement this move was best for Wakefield’s health and the impact it would have on the club.
During this decision-making process Wakefield said he has thought about his future and his potential to pitch again.
“Yeah, I have," he said. "If I continue to do this, based on the information I'm getting from the doctors, I'm seriously at risk of injuring myself for the rest of my life. So, that had a lot of weight in the decision. Even though it's the World Series, and Tito has been around me, a lot of you guys have been around me long enough to know I'll go out there 50 percent -- I don't care. I don't think it's fair to the organization or to me that I go out there and injury myself and I'm not available for next year or the year after that.”
He said he attempted to throw a side session on Monday because doctors wanted to have a gage for how he felt the next day, but he couldn’t even get through the session without pain.
“I was at a maximum of 75 percent, maybe 60 percent,” he said. “Trust me, this stinks. As a competitor I want to be out there competing. This is the ultimate stage and this is what I’ve been working hard for since spring training and now I’m not available. It sucks to put it bluntly.”
Wakefield missed a start in September and received a cortisone shot, which he said helped. The problem wasn’t when he was pitching it was the days in between when the shoulder really bothered him to a point where he couldn’t play catch, he said.
Because of the injury, the Red Sox decided to keep Wakefield off the ALDS roster against the Angels in order for him to get the proper rest in case the team reached the ALCS, which it did and he was able to pitch Game Four against the Indians. He allowed five runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings which proved to be his last outing of the 2007 season.
Until early last month, this season was a good one for Wakefield, his 13th with the Red Sox. He matched a career-high in wins with a 17-12 record, along with his 4.76 ERA.
"It wasn't a lot of fun," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona when asked about the decision to keep Wakefield off the World Series roster. "That's part of the reason Wake is sitting here now, because of our respect and regard for him. It wasn't just a move made on paper and we'll go on. Sometimes doing the right thing is certainly not the fun thing, but it comes back to having respect for the organization, for the team and for the players. That will never change."
Posted by Joe McDonald 
at 3:49 PM | Permalink
