Apr. 28, 2009 (Boston Herald delivered by Newstex ) --
Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield was masterful for the third straight start last night, tossing seven shutout innings of one-hit ball in a 3-1 victory over the Indians. Though Wakefield didnt figure in the decision, he extended a run thats already quickly becoming one of the best of his career. He went at least seven innings without surrendering more than two runs for the straight start. Its the 11th time hes had such a stretch in his career, with his high-water mark coming in 2002, when he did so over six straight starts while posting a 1.40 ERA.
Interesting enough, the first such run of his career encompassed three seasons. It began with back-to-back shutouts to end the 1993 season for the Pirates. Wakefield then amazingly spent the entire 1994 season in the minors before rebounding with the Red Sox in 1995 and beginning his career in Boston by allowing just two earned runs in his first 33.1 innings. Included were two complete games (including one of 10 innings) and 1-0 two-hitter of the As on two days rest.
His ERA for those six starts between 1993-95? A miniscule 0.35. For the complete list, check out this handy chart created with Baseball-References ridiculous PI tool.
So at the risk of sounding like a broken record, what Wakefields doing at age 42 is pretty amazing. When hes locked in, there might not be a more enjoyable spectacle than watching him confound opponents with the trickiest pitch in the game.
Newstex ID: YB-3525-34483826
