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BOSTON RED SOX
AGE: 37
POSITION: Pitcher
BIRTHPLACE: Melbourne, FL
RESIDES: Melbourne, FL
COLLEGE: Florida Tech
PERSONAL: Wife Stacy, expecting first child
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When
he came to Boston, Tim Wakefield adopted the Franciscan
Children’s Hospital as one of his favorite charities.
Every Tuesday that the team is home, Tim invites kids
from the hospital who are enduring catastrophic injuries,
physical disabilities and neurological illnesses to attend.
Called “Wakefield’s Warriors,” Tim greets
them with tickets, t-shirts and his time. Ultimately,
he inspires them. It may be unprecedented for a starting
pitcher to spend time talking to kids an hour or two before
taking the mound, but Tim does it several times during
the season. In 2003, the Franciscan Hospital honored Tim
with their highest award during their Community Leadership
Award dinner, citing his years of contributions and the
hundreds of lives he has impacted. Tim donated $150,000
to his alma mater, Florida Institute of Technology, for
new baseball facilities. In 2004, he hosted the 12th annual
Tim Wakefield Celebrity Golf Tournament. Since its inception,
the event has raised $1,959,582 for the Space Coast Intervention
School, a preschool for kids with Down Syndrome, Cerebral
Palsy, Autism and RET Syndrome. His efforts were instrumental
in saving the school, which was about to close before
he became involved in 1992.
One
of the few knuckleball pitchers in the Majors, Tim Wakefield
enjoyed one of his finest seasons in 2003. His 2.81 ERA
in 45 games was among the best in the AL. Opponents hit
only .204 against him, second best in the AL. Tim has
more than 1,000 career strikeouts in 1,500 innings pitched.
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