The 43-year-old knuckleballer passed Roger Clemens for most innings pitched in a Sox uniform after tossing 7 1/3 nearly spotless innings against Cleveland. Yielding only one earned run and four hits while striking out six, Wakefield notched his second win of the season and gave Boston a 3-2 win at Progressive Field.
The win, coupled with the enshrinement in Red Sox history, earned Wakefield the Amica Pitcher of the Week honors.
Although he is just 2-4 with an ERA at 5.48 in 2010, Wakefield has been a decent option for the Red Sox since Josh Beckett was placed on the DL on May 18. Since then, the righty is 2-2, looking phenomenal in his two wins (eight innings, no earned in a win at Philadelphia and Tuesday's victory over Cleveland) but shaky in his two losses (9 2/3 innings pitched, 15 earned runs).
What resonates with Red Sox fans and brass alike, however, is Wakefield's willingness to accept his place in the bullpen to start the year before quietly taking the mound as a starter for Beckett. He is a Boston mainstay, picking up 177 of his 191 wins as a Red Sox, placing him just 15 shy of Clemens and Cy Young for most wins all time in team history.
It is hardly common for an athlete to continue to perform at an effective level into his 40s, yet Wakefield is doing just that, making that next record seem achievable. Should he reach 192, it's anyone's guess how the team will honor him. A bottle of champagne won't nearly be enough.