Many who practice the pitch have followed that course. Although there have been some down times for Wakefield over the past couple of years, including a move to the bullpen, Wakefield is seemingly finding that stride once again in his mid-40s.
Wakefield, who turns 45 in a little over a month, threw eight dominant innings in a 12-3 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, moving to within three wins of 200 and nine of tying the Red Sox record of 192. It was a vintage outing for the veteran, the kind that had opponents wondering what they were swinging at.
“If he’s got a good knuckleball, you’re not going to hit him,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke told reporters after his team was limited to just three hits against Wakefield.
That’s just what Wakefield had, and has had for a run of six straight starts in which he is 4-1 with a 3.60 ERA and a tidy WHIP of 1.00.
The rotation, which lost Clay Buchholz to the disabled list before the game and added left-hander Andrew Miller to the active roster, has been in a state of flux due to injuries and a constant need to shuffle for almost two months.
Wakefield, who never was completely comfortable in his spot-start/long-man role last year, is pleased to be one of the constants in that stormy sea.
“I’ve got a more consistent job right now,” Wakefield said of one of the keys to his success. “Last year was a lot of inconsistencies. Bullpen, start, bullpen start. It’s nice to have a routine…It’s been a pleasure so far.”
If the rest of the Red Sox players were around Wakefield when he said that, they would utter in unison, “The pleasure is all ours.”
His teammates love playing behind the knuckleballer, who always works quickly. On Father’s Day, when the father of two was greeted after the eighth with a host of hugs in a happy dugout, the appreciation was shown.
That appreciation turned into praise in the clubhouse after a performance in which Wakefield had a season-high six strikeouts. That moved him to within 16 of becoming the second to reach 2,000 in a Red Sox uniform.
“That’s probably the best stuff I’ve seen from him all year that I’ve caught him,” said catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. “Even in the bullpen, I was having trouble just because the ball was moving everywhere. He was really just kind of throwing it for strikes, getting ahead.”
That’s what struck the manager.
“He threw a lot of strikes. A lot of strikes. Just filled up the strike zone,” Terry Francona said. “Today was a good day to hit. You elevate that pitch, any pitch, it’s gonna go. He just threw a lot of strikes with a really good knuckleball.”
That strike-throwing ability, always present when Wakefield was on his game, has quietly become a strength almost every time out now. Between his awkward 2010 campaign and his resurgent 2011 season, Wakefield has walked an average of just 2.5 men per nine innings, nearly a full walk below his career norm.
Wakefield’s strikeout-to-walk-ratio in that time is 2.1. Prior to 2010, he had just three seasons in his memorable career with a better mark in that category.
It’s all part of the getting-better-with-age theory, perhaps. A regular routine certainly helps.
With Buchholz due back in a couple of weeks and Miller now in the fold, there is the potential that another scenario could arise in which Wakefield is the odd man out. That’s far down the road, of course, but it does exist. If the words of those around him mean anything, he’ll stay put this time around.
David Ortiz said Wakefield has a “gift” that will keep him successful. Adrian Gonzalez called Wakefield “young” for a knuckleballer. And Saltalamacchia offered up a preemptive push to keep Wakefield right where he is for as long as possible.
“A guy with a knuckleball that’s more of a feel pitch, you’ve got to have a routine,” Saltalamacchia said. “He helped us in the bullpen, but I think he’s better suited for the starting rotation. I think he’s better for us in the starting rotation.”
If Niekro’s assessment was correct, Wakefield’s performance going forward will only help his cause.
