The Boston Red Sox have announced that former knuckleball player and announcer Tim Wakefield is receiving
treatment for an undisclosed ailment. The franchise has requested fans to respect Wakefield’s privacy following the
disclosure of his condition by former colleague Curt Schilling without his permission.
Following Schilling’s admission on a podcast that Wakefield had brain cancer, the team released a statement on
Thursday. This sparked an outpouring of sympathy for Wakefield and criticism of Schilling. The Red Sox stated that
Wakefield and his wife, Stacy, gave them permission to release the statement.
The group stated, “Unfortunately, this information has been shared publicly without their permission.” “As they
navigate treatment and fight this illness, their health is a very personal topic that they meant to remain secret. Tim
and Stacy kindly request privacy at this time and are grateful for all of the love and support that have always been
shown to them.
With a 200-192 record and a 4.41 ERA in more than 3,000 major league innings, Wakefield, 57, announced his
retirement in 2012. He participated in Boston’s World Series victories in 2004 and 2007 and was elected into the
team’s Hall of Fame in 2016.
Since 2012, he has been employed by NESN, the Red Sox broadcast network, and he has continued to be involved
with Boston-area nonprofits, such as the Red Sox Foundation.
Wakefield’s teammate Schilling (2004–07) retired in 2009. Prior to his termination in 2016 due to anti-transgender
social media postings, he was an ESPN analyst. Support for the Jan. 6 uprising and the lynching of journalists has
been voiced in other posts. Insolvency and default on a $75 million loan from the state of Rhode Island befell his video game company, 38 Studios.
After receiving a throat cancer diagnosis in 2014, Schilling announced that the disease was in remission. He was
inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2012, but in 2022, the last year of his eligibility, he was not inducted into
the National Baseball Hall of Fame after receiving only 58.6% of the vote, well below the necessary 75%.
