Tim Wakefield Adds 200th Chapter to 20-Year Tale of Perseverance

In 1995, I interviewed for a job at the New England Sports Network. I put on my best suit, drove down from Maine and gave it my best shot.

That night, I stayed at Fenway Park and watched the Red Sox beat the Twins 4-1. Troy O'Leary went 2-for-4 with a double off Brad Radke, while Mo Vaughn hit a rare triple. Tim Wakefield was on the mound for the Red Sox, scattering seven hits and one run over 7.1 innings.

Wakefield improved his record to 10-1 with the win, the sixth of 10 straight wins he reeled off in that stretch. It was an improbable run for a former first baseman that had been let go by Pittsburgh a year earlier.

Wakefield has won 176 more games with the Sox since then. Only Cy Young and Roger Clemens have won more in a Boston uniform. On Tuesday night, he became the only active pitcher in Major League Baseball to record his 200th career win.

It wasn't easy. Wakefield battled through six innings, giving up five runs. Certainly not a quality start, but good enough to give the Sox' bats a chance to warm up, and they did. The Sox scored 12 of their 18 runs after Wakefield threw his final pitch of the game.

Truthfully, it wasn't that bad of a start. It was the first time in a week a Sox pitcher had gone six innings in a game.

It was a fitting game for a man who has persevered against all odds. He is the oldest active player in baseball. No other pitcher in the history of the team has worn the uniform for as long as Wakefield's 16 seasons. He has made more starts and thrown more innings than any pitcher in team history. Two years ago, he was the oldest pitcher to be named to his first All-Star team since Satchel Paige in 1952.

Last year, Wakefield won the Roberto Clemente Award, which is given to the MLB player who best represents the game through sportsmanship, community involvement and positive contributions to their clubs.

For all the success Wakefield has had, there have been low moments, too. He's been left off playoff rosters and skipped in rotations. He spent parts of the past two seasons in the bullpen, yet he has made a remarkable 21 starts this season, a testament to his value to a team that has battled an alarming number of injuries to its starting rotation.

With Erik Bedard's immediate future still uncertain, Wakefield will keep making starts. With the weight of the milestone behind him, he will try to focus on helping the Sox nail down a playoff spot.

In 1992, George H.W. Bush was president. A gallon of gas cost $1.19; a stamp would set you back 29 cents. It was a landmark year in audio, as compact discs outsold cassettes for the first time.

That year, Tim Wakefield won his first Major League game.

There's been plenty of sweet music ever since. Last night, his perseverance paid off — and Sox fans savored every note.