Boston Red Sox

Red Sox Hall of Famer Wade Boggs announces he has prostate cancer

"I've never been a goal oriented person but with the strength and support of my family and my faith in God I'm going to ring that damn bell."

Wade Boggs had his No. 26 jersey retired by the Red Sox in 2016. John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe

By Conor Ryan

September 8, 2024

1 minute to read

Red Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs announced on Saturday that he has prostate cancer.

The 66-year-old Boggs revealed his diagnosis on social media.

“I’ve never been a goal oriented person but with the strength and support of my family and my faith in God I’m going to ring that damn bell,” Boggs posted on X.

I’ve never been a goal oriented person but with the strength and support of my family and my faith in God I’m going to ring that damn bell 💪🏻🙏 #positiveattitude pic.twitter.com/Ida9Y9mXbc
— Wade Boggs (@ChickenMan3010) September 7, 2024

Boggs played 11 seasons with the Red Sox, from 1982 to 1992. He batted .338 over his tenure in Boston while winning five batting titles. Only Ted Williams has a higher career batting average (.344) with the Red Sox than Boggs.

A 12-time All-Star, Boggs closed out his career with five seasons with the Yankees (1993-97) and two with the Rays (1998-99). He won one World Series title, in New York in 1996.

Boggs was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 and had his No. 26 jersey retired by the Red Sox in 2016.

“I hoped this day would come,’’ Boggs said at his jersey-retirement ceremony at Fenway Park over eight years ago. “When you think about a player having his number retired — that nobody is ever going to wear that uniform again — that is something that resonates through eternity. Just because I made the Hall of Fame or anything like that, it’s not a given . . . This is the last piece of my baseball puzzle. My journey has ended and I’ve come back home.’’