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Red Sox to honor 2004 championship team, Tim Wakefield during home-opener ceremony
The 2024 Red Sox will also wear a commemorative patch all season long in tribute to Tim Wakefield.
The 2024 Red Sox will officially open a new slate of 81 games at Fenway Park on Tuesday, April 9, against the Baltimore Orioles.
But before the first pitch is delivered in Boston’s ballpark at 2:10 p.m., the Red Sox’ home-opener festivities will pay tribute to the past.
The Red Sox announced Monday that the 20th anniversary of the 2004 World Series championship will be honored as part of the pregame ceremonies. In a team release, the Red Sox noted that all members of the 2004 Red Sox team will be invited to the ceremony, with participants set to be announced at a later date.
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Along with celebrating the roster that helped erase an 86-year curse with the Red Sox, the ceremony will also include a special tribute honoring the life, legacy, and impact of Tim Wakefield and his wife, Stacy.
Tim Wakefield, the beloved knuckleballer who won two World Series over his 17 seasons in Boston, passed away on Oct. 1, 2023 at the age of 57 due to a seizure following surgery for brain cancer. Stacy Wakefield passed away on Feb. 28, 2024 after battling pancreatic cancer. She was 53 years old.
Beyond the pregame ceremony involving the Wakefields, the Red Sox announced that Wakefield’s number 49 will be featured on a commemorative patch placed on the jersey sleeve of the 2024 Red Sox throughout the upcoming season.
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The commemorative navy patch, pictured below, is shaped as a heart as a tribute to Wakefield’s role as the Honorary Chairman of the Red Sox Foundation — with his number 49 etched in red at the center of the heart.
All fans attending Boston’s home opener will receive a special Wakefield keepsake in the form of navy blue, heart-shaped pin featuring his jersey number in red.
In addition to the 2004 Red Sox celebration and the tribute to Wakefield, the Red Sox’ home opener will also include a flyover from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158FW (Fighter Wing) Unit, team introductions for both Boston and Baltimore — along with the American flag draped over the Green Monster.
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