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Kevin Youkilis felt like the rest of Red Sox Nation on Sunday afternoon after he learned about the death of Tim Wakefield.
With the news announced by the Red Sox just before Sunday’s game in Baltimore, Youkilis proceeded to deliver a heartfelt message about his former teammate on the NESN broadcast. Wakefield was 57 years old.
“He was a great competitor when he took that mound, he was a great teammate and a great friend,” an emotional Youkilis said of Wakefield before the Red Sox took on the Orioles in Boston’s regular-season finale.
“I had the luxury to play with him on the field, in the booth, and just glad I had the opportunity over the years to be alongside him. Just an amazing husband, father and community leader. He really enjoyed people, he really enjoyed being around people, and today we lost one of the good ones.”
Youkilis, 44, played his first nine seasons with the Red Sox from 2004-2012. Wakefield was a teammate for eight of those seasons. The former pitcher played his final MLB campaign in 2011.
Wakefield joined the NESN broadcast team in 2012. Youkilis started as a pregame and postgame analyst in 2021 before joining the booth in 2022.