Tim Wakefield, a right-handed knuckleball pitcher for the Boston Crimson Sox who in 2004 performed a important late-innings reduction position within the crew’s profitable its first World Collection championship in 86 years, died on Sunday. He was 57.

The Crimson Sox introduced his demise in a press release, saying the trigger was mind most cancers. Tom Werner, the crew chairman, later stated in a textual content message that Wakefield died at his dwelling in Massachusetts, although he didn’t say in what city or metropolis.

In 2010, close to the tip of his profession, Wakefield received Main League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award, which acknowledges a participant’s group and charitable work.

“He not solely captivated us on the sector however was the uncommon athlete whose legacy prolonged past the report books to the numerous lives he touched together with his heat and real spirit,” John W. Henry, principal proprietor of the Crimson Sox, stated in a press release.

Wakefield was a part of a small tribe of pitchers — Hoyt Wilhelm, Phil Niekro, Charlie Hough and R.A. Dickey, amongst them — who had lengthy careers specializing within the knuckleball, which, when thrown correctly, takes a gradual, darting, fluttery path to dwelling plate.

“You’re higher off attempting to hit Wakefield while you’re in a drunken stupor,” Jason Giambi, the longtime first baseman for the Oakland A’s and the Yankees, informed The New Yorker in 2004.

Wakefield was deeply ingrained within the fierce Crimson Sox-Yankees rivalry. Through the 2003 American League Championship Collection, he surrendered the game-ending dwelling run in Recreation 7 to Yankees third baseman Aaron Boone within the eleventh inning.

However a 12 months later, when the 2 groups met once more within the A.L.C.S., Wakefield pitched three innings of scoreless reduction in further innings in Recreation 5, placing Boston in place for David Ortiz to single within the profitable run within the backside of the 14th.

“Final 12 months was final 12 months,” Wakefield informed Jackie MacMullan, a columnist for The Boston Globe, including, “I used to be simply attempting to maintain us within the sport for so long as potential.”

The Crimson Sox went on to win the American League pennant — beautiful New York by peeling off 4 video games in a row after shedding the primary three — then swept the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Collection, the crew’s first since 1918.

Wakefield pitched 17 seasons with the Crimson Sox after two with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had a profession report of 200-180 and an earned run common of 4.41. He ranks second in profession Crimson Sox victories, with 186, second to the 192 of each Roger Clemens and Cy Younger.

Timothy Stephen Wakefield was born on Aug. 2, 1966, in Melbourne, Fla.

He took a circuitous path to turning into a knuckleballer. He was drafted by the Pirates as a primary baseman in 1988 however didn’t present a lot hitting prowess. Whereas enjoying for the Pirates’ Class A minor league crew, a coach, Woody Huyke, watched Wakefield throw knucklers and was impressed.

Two days later, as Huyke informed The New Yorker, “we had an organizational assembly as a result of, you understand, he was on the bubble as an infielder. I stated, ‘Earlier than you let him go, I’d wish to see him on the mound, ’trigger he’s received an excellent knuckleball.’ So that they saved him round. They informed him, ‘Both you pitch or go dwelling.’”

He was referred to as up by the Pirates in 1992, received eight of his 9 choices, with a 2.15 E.R.A., and pitched two full victories within the Nationwide League Championship Collection in opposition to the Atlanta Braves (who received the collection in seven video games). However he started fighting the knuckleball, resulting in a subpar 1993 season with Pittsburgh and to poor leads to the minors in 1994. The Pirates launched him, and the Crimson Sox signed him in early 1995.

In June of that season, Wakefield took a no-hitter in opposition to the Oakland A’s into the eighth inning, however a single by Stan Javier with one out ruined the gem. He nonetheless received, 4-1, utilizing his knuckler for all however 4 of his 114 pitches.

“Quickly Tim Wakefield’s legions will manage,” Dan Shaughnessy, a Globe columnist, rhapsodized. “They’ll sit collectively within the heart subject bleachers and crack their knuckles between pitches. They would be the Loyal Order of Knuckleheads.”

Wakefield had a 16-8 report with a 2.95 E.R.A. that season, maybe his greatest. He was with the Crimson Sox to remain.

Following his retirement after the 2011 season, Wakefield and Dickey had been featured in a documentary, “Knuckleball!” (2012). Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, the movie additionally centered on Niekro and Hough.

After the movie’s launch, Wakefield informed The Newport Each day Information in Rhode Island {that a} younger knuckleballer’s possibilities of being drafted by a serious league crew had been nearly nil given the MLB’s emphasis on a pitcher’s pace.

“They might signal him as a free agent,” he stated. “There’s all the time that doubt, due to the character of the pitch, and I felt like I needed to show myself 12 months after 12 months.”

He joined the New England Sports activities Community as an analyst for Crimson Sox video games in 2012 and was inducted into the crew’s Corridor of Fame 4 years later.

Final week, the previous Crimson Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, a former teammate of Wakefield’s, revealed on his podcast that Wakefield and his spouse, Stacy, had most cancers. The Crimson Sox issued a press release saying, “Sadly, this data has been shared publicly, with out their permission,” including, “Their well being is a deeply private matter they wanted to maintain personal as they navigate remedy and work to sort out this illness.”

Along with his spouse, Wakefield’s survivors embody his kids, Trevor and Brianna.

Wakefield stated he discovered to throw the knuckleball from his father.

“Dad comes dwelling from work, and I’m, you understand, ‘Let’s go play catch,’” he informed The New Yorker. “He was drained, and he wished to go inside. So the knuckleball was his approach of attempting to tire me out, ’trigger I didn’t need to need to catch it — it’d go by me and I’d need to go decide it up. It was sort of a delicate approach of Dad saying, ‘Time to go, let’s stop.’”