BOSTON — In ways so much more than symbolic, the craft and hard work that went into the late Tim Wakefield’s vaunted but unpredictable knuckleball made a return to Fenway Park on Sunday. It was delivered by a former student of Wakefield’s, 27-year-old San Diego Padres rookie Matt Waldron, and let’s pause for a moment to acknowledge that the numbers were less than stellar. Waldron allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits over 4 1/3 innings, including a two-run homer by Rafael Devers. Final score: Red Sox 4, Padres 1.
“Not great, not good at all,” Waldron told reporters after the game. “From the first inning till the fifth, not great, not the results I wanted.”
GO DEEPERTim Wakefield mentored the Padres’ Matt Waldron, who is bringing the knuckleball back to FenwayWaldron wasn’t merely disappointed. He was emotional — very emotional, as in tears-forming-in-his-eyes emotional. He had wanted his first-ever appearance at Fenway Park to serve as an homage to Wakefield, who died of brain cancer last October. A couple of years earlier, via a couple of Zoom sessions, Wakefield had stepped up as a mentor to the then-unknown minor-league pitcher who was not at the top of anybody’s Top Prospects list. And what a thrill it was, to be learning from a master. Even though Waldron had grown up in Nebraska, he grew up a Red Sox fan. And he had followed Tim Wakefield’s exploits, even if he wasn’t yet mapping out his own future as a big-league knuckleballer.
GO DEEPERRosenthal: Why the Red Sox could be surprising buyers ahead of the trade deadlineImagine, then, the many thoughts racing through Waldron’s head on Sunday when he faced the Red Sox, for whom Wakefield registered 186 of his 200 career victories and played on two World Series-winning teams.
“It’s Fenway,” Waldron said. “I know that Wakefield toed that rubber. You could feel it.”
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But, Waldron said, “At the end of the day I’ve got to get the job done.”
Of course. We all expect accountability from our professional athletes. It’s just that Waldron would be wise not to kick himself so hard. For while it’s true he didn’t submit an epic performance that even nostalgic Red Sox fans might have admired, the fact is that Waldron said something after the game that Wakefield would have loved.
Asked if he noticed anything in particular about the manner in which he was received by Red Sox fans, Waldron said, “No, I just think the pitch in general was admired and it got the respect it deserves.”
Matt Waldron seems like a really genuine guy
Rooting heavy for him
— Padres Nation (@NationPadres) June 30, 2024
It’s possible not even Waldron understands the perfectly wonderful Wakefield-ness of that line. See, Wakefield was usually candid about taking the blame on those occasions when he felt he had screwed up, but the key word here is usually because sometimes it wasn’t his fault at all. Anyway, not in his view. See, sometimes it was the knuckleball’s fault. And when it was, Wakefield would assign the blame accordingly.
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In Wake’s view, all the game prep in all the ballparks in all the world brought no guarantee that the knuckler was going to earn its keep. And so for Waldron to speak of his knuckleball as a separate entity — as in “it got the respect it deserves” — was as much of a salute to Tim Wakefield as seven shutout innings would have been.
Waldron has been a solid contributor to the Padres pitching staff this season. Even with Sunday’s loss, his ERA in 17 starts is 3.56. In 93 2/3 innings, he has allowed 83 hits, with 87 strikeouts against 28 walks. He doesn’t throw his knuckler as often as Wakefield did and tends to throw it a little harder. But as Waldron pointed out, “It’s the first time I’ve gotten damaged by it, so I’m adjusting to that a little bit.
“(The Red Sox) did a good job attacking that, and their approach was really well. So I gotta commend that.”
For Wake ❤️ #RedSox pic.twitter.com/F2unW2Dm1x
— NESN (@NESN) June 30, 2024
Waldron’s postgame session with the media lasted all of two minutes. It’s not that he abruptly stopped answering questions, or was whisked away by some overprotective club official. He was just too worked up, and so there wasn’t much else for anyone to ask him. The session didn’t so much end as dissipate. This game was truly a big deal to the kid and he wanted to impress. That he didn’t treat the crowd to some semblance of vintage Wakefield apparently was eating at him.
But then he spoke those words.
“I just think the pitch in general was admired and it got the respect it deserves.”
There you go. Vintage Wakefield. Even if it was inside the tiny visitors clubhouse under the third-base grandstand.
Silly Knuckleballs from Matt Waldron. 🦋 pic.twitter.com/IRr1GsMdEd
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 30, 2024
“I’ll bounce back,” Waldron said. “I’ve done it before, but it’s been a while since I felt this upset.”
He will bounce back. But before he knows it he’ll be feeling “this upset” all over again.
That’s the knuckleball. That’s what Tim Wakefield would say. And Matt Waldron, channeling his inner Wake, said it on Sunday.
(Photo of Matt Waldron: Jaiden Tripi / Getty Images)
Steve Buckley is a columnist for The Athletic. He was previously a sports columnist for the Boston Herald and The National Sports Daily. Earlier stops include covering baseball for the Hartford Courant, Tacoma News Tribune and Portland (Maine) Press Herald. Follow Steve on Twitter @BuckinBoston
