Tim Wakefield is being treated for an unidentified sickness, and the Boston Red Sox have begged fans to respect his privacy after his illness was revealed without his knowledge by ex-teammate Curt Schilling.
The Red Sox published a statement on Thursday after Schilling disclosed Wakefield’s illness on a podcast, prompting an outpouring of sympathy for Wakefield – as well as condemnation of Schilling.
“We are aware of the statements and inquiries about the health of Tim and Stacy Wakefield,” the Boston Red Sox said. “Unfortunately, this information was made public without their consent.” Their health is a profoundly personal topic that they desire to remain secret while they navigate therapy and fight this sickness. Tim and Stacy are grateful for the love and support that has always been shown to them and respectfully want solitude at this time.”
Wakefield, 57, retired in 2012 with a record of 200-192 and a 4.41 ERA in almost 3,000 big league innings. The knuckleballer was a member of Boston’s World Series title teams in 2004 and 2007, and he was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2016.
Wakefield has also worked for the Red Sox broadcast network, NESN, since 2012, and has stayed engaged in Boston organisations such as the Red Sox Foundation.
Wakefield’s teammate from 2004 to 2007, Schilling, retired in 2009. He was an ESPN commentator until 2016, when he was sacked for anti-transgender social media postings.
Schilling was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and subsequently announced that she was in remission. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2012, but he was denied entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022, his last year of eligibility, with 58.6% of the vote – well short of the 75% required.
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