(Boston) Former butterfly pitcher and commentator Tim Wakefield is undergoing treatment to combat an unidentified illness, the Boston Red Sox announced Thursday.
The Massachusetts team also asked fans to respect his privacy, after rumors regarding his state of health were spread without his consent by his ex-teammate Curt Schilling.
The Red Sox issued a statement after Schilling said on a podcast that Wakefield was suffering from brain cancer, leading to an outpouring of messages of support — and reprimands for Schilling.
“We are aware of these statements and questions regarding the health of Tim and Stacy Wakefield,” the Red Sox wrote. Unfortunately, this information was shared without their permission. Their health is a private matter, and they want to keep it that way as they battle the disease and try to identify the best possible treatment. »
Wakefield, 57, announced his retirement in 2012 after going 200-192 with a 4.41 ERA and more than 3,000 major league innings. He was a member of the Red Sox championship teams in 2004 and 2007, and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2016.
He had worked for NESN, the Red Sox broadcast network, since 2012 and remained active in various charities, including the Red Sox Foundation.
Schilling, who was Wakefield’s teammate between 2004 and 2007, hung up his glove in 2009. He acted as an analyst for ESPN before being fired in 2016 for posting anti-transgender messages on the networks social. Other messages expressed support for the lynching of journalists or the attempted insurrection of January 6, 2021. His video game company, 38 Studios, filed for bankruptcy protection and he did not never repaid a US$75 million loan granted by the State of Rhode Island.