(Boston) Former pitcher and commentator Tim Wakefield is undergoing treatment for an unidentified illness, the Boston Red Sox announced on Thursday.
The Massachusetts team also asked fans to respect their privacy after rumors about their health were spread without their consent by their former teammate Curt Schilling.
The Red Sox issued a statement after Schilling said on a podcast that Wakefield was suffering from brain cancer, prompting a flood 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. Your health is a private matter and they want to keep it that way as they fight 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 several charities, including the Red Sox Foundation.
Schilling, who was Wakefield’s teammate from 2004 to 2007, hung up his glove in 2009. He served as an analyst for ESPN before being fired in 2016 for posting anti-transgender messages on social media. 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 never repaid a $75 million loan from the State of Rhode Island .
