Seattle Mariners ace George Kirby gave the perfect tribute to the late Tim Wakefield on Wednesday night.
Kirby pitched 5.1 innings of 2-run ball, though his Mariners lost 3-2 to the Red Sox in 10 innings at Fenway Park in Boston. For his first pitch of the game, Kirby threw a knuckleball as a tribute to Wakefield.
George Kirby threw a knuckleball to begin Wednesday's game against the Red Sox to pay tribute to Tim Wakefield ❤️
“He was a special player. So just being able to do it here in Boston was pretty cool.” – George Kirby pic.twitter.com/3vLyb7yEGZ
— MLB (@MLB) August 1, 2024
Though that pitch was a ball, Kirby got Jarren Duran to fly out two pitches later.
After the game, in which Kirby took a no-decision, the pitcher confirmed that he had thrown a knuckleball on the first pitch. He said it was a tribute to Wakefield.
“He was a special player. So just being able to do it here in Boston was pretty cool,” Kirby said after the game.
Wakefield spent 19 years in the big leagues as a knuckleball pitcher. He won two World Series with the Red Sox and even made an All-Star team. Wakefield died in October 2023 due to brain cancer.
