Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, 45, retired today after 19 years in the major leagues. Wakefield was a fan-favorite, pitching the past 17 years of his career in a Red Sox uniform. Wakefield is well known for his use of the knuckleball.

Wakefield started his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992, after being drafted in 1988. He was released by the Pirates and signed by the Sox in 1995. He finished his career near the top, or at the top of several categories. Wakefield leads the Red Sox in all-time innings pitched and in games started with 430. Wakefield ranks second for Red Sox all-time strikeouts with 2,046. Wakefield won 186 games with the Red Sox, good enough for third all-time on Boston’s win list. He trails only Roger Clemens and Cy Young, both tied with 192. Wakefield was an All-Star, for the first and only time, in 2009.

He was known just as much for his pitching as for his contributions off the field. Wakefield was awarded the Roberto Clemente Award in 2010, which is given to the player who shows just how important it is to give back to the community. Wakefield was a part of the 2004 Red Sox team that won the World Series for the first time in 86 years. Three years later in 2007, the Sox won the World Series again, with Wakefield playing a large part of it. Wakefield finished his career with a 200-180 record, 2156 strikeouts, and a 4.41 ERA.
 

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