Wakefields dominate at emotional Fenway
’04 champions here for Brianna, Trevor
Before the first pitch at Fenway Park this season, the Red Sox took a trip down memory lane that was as tearful as it was joyful.
A long-planned Opening Day pregame ceremony honoring the 20th anniversary of the drought-breaking 2004 championship team shared the stage with a moving tribute to Tim Wakefield, who passed away last October at the age of 57, and his wife Stacy, 53, who died at the end of February.
The meeting of the iconic and the icon occurred near the pitcher’s mound, when 2004 lead idiot Johnny Damon, resplendent with his long locks, shorts, red sneakers, and sunglasses, handed the World Series trophy to the Wakefields’ two children, Brianna, 18, and Trevor, 19.
“I just thought it was fitting for her to walk off the field with the World Series trophy,” Damon said. “Those kids are going through a lot. They know that they have a lot of family on the team that we had in 2004 and they can always count on us.”
After Brianna threw the ceremonial first pitch to Jason Varitek, the former Red Sox captain and close friend of Tim Wakefield wrapped her in a long bear hug between the mound and home plate. Varitek said Brianna doublechecked with him Monday night that he would be available to catch her toss.
“I said, ‘I’m in the bullpen, but I’ll make it down there,’ ” Varitek said following the Sox’ 7-1 loss to the Orioles. “It was emotional. It was really emotional, but she held herself like a champ and I’m proud of the young lady that she is.”
Said Trot Nixon: “She’s got 40 uncles standing behind her.”
“Sometimes there’s just no more words to describe what happened,” Orlando Cabrera said. “We try to give them as much support as we can. And she’s an unbelievable girl. They’re going to make it.”
Nixon, who described the emotions of the day as “jaw-dropping,” said tears were shed.
“A lot of the tears were talking about Tim and Stacy,” he said. “I don’t know how to take it all in. I’ll be honest with you, it’s still hard to believe both of them are gone.”
Former team president Larry Lucchino, who died earlier this month, was also memorialized.
The heart of the program revolved around a multi-layered video that played against Don McLean’s “American Pie” standard.
The song’s sad introduction featured the final year of the 86-year drought, with “The day the music died” dwindling to silence against the Red Sox’ devastating 2003 American League Championship Series loss to the Yankees on Aaron Boone’s home run off of Wakefield.
As the song picked up, the 2004 team, led by a cast of self-anointed idiots in Damon, Kevin Millar, and Manny Ramirez, took over, culminating in the Game 4 World Series victory in St. Louis and the duck-boat parade back in Boston.
The biggest cheers came for the moment when Varitek shoved his mitt into Alex Rodriguez’s face in the regular season and Dave Roberts’s steal of second base in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees.
The final portion of the song featured the tribute to the Wakefields and Lucchino, a series of professional, family, and behind-the-scenes photos.
As the video and song wrapped, a gathering of 2004 team members emerged from under their championship banner hanging on the Green Monster and walked to the infield, led by Brianna and Trevor.
“You can’t celebrate ’04 without celebrating Tim also,” Varitek said. “It was just a beautiful day. They did a great job. I don’t want to overshadow the Jimy Williams and Lucchinos and everyone else who has passed. They mean a tremendous amount to all of us, but today was a special day for Tim to highlight that.”
The Red Sox paid tribute to others who died since the end of the 2023 season, including former manager Williams. Prior to the ceremony, the teams were introduced, the Orioles preceding the Sox, who were led out by clubhouse manager Tom McLaughlin.
“We wish there were a lot of other people that were here today, Tim and Stacy being the biggest ones — this was Tim’s favorite team,” Nixon said. “Brianna and Trevor did a fantastic job. They’re special people, and, obviously, they’re loved.”
On the warning track for the ceremony near the Red Sox dugout were Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group principal owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, president Mike Gordon, CEO Sam Kennedy, and Henry’s wife and FSG partner, Linda Henry. John Henry owns the Globe; Linda Henry is its CEO.
Theo Epstein, the team’s general manager in 2004 and now a senior advisor within FSG, joined the executive reception of the championship team in the infield.
A group of patients from the Jimmy Fund and Franciscan Children’s delivered the traditional “Play Ball” to wrap up the ceremony.
A few 2004 team members made the NESN and MLB TV rounds before the ceremony, with Millar hosting Ramirez and Cabrera, and David Ortiz popping into the NESN booth behind center field.
After the NESN appearance, Ortiz emerged in right field, wearing a white Red Sox hoodie. Along with two Red Sox security members, he walked unnoticed until he appeared on the videoboard, which evoked a roar from the still assembling crowd.
The bottom of the Green Monster light stanchion closest to the left-field foul pole was adorned with Wakefield’s red “49” uniform font against a blue heart background. The blue heart is a nod to Wakefield’s long-time duties as the honorary chairman of the Red Sox Foundation, and matches the memorial patch the team is wearing this season. Fans were given the icon as a pin. There are plans for that commemorative patch to be sold later this season at ballclub’s team store on Jersey Street with proceeds directed to the Red Sox Foundation.
At the bottom of the other stanchion was a red “LL” on a blue circle, in honor of Lucchino.
Most of the 2004 team members arrived at Fenway Park via the duck boat convoy system used in their memorable victory parade 20 years ago through the Back Bay and then into the Charles River.
The duck boat was adorned with the original “Reversed the Curse” sign from Storrow Drive that was altered from “Reverse Curve” soon after the Red Sox ended their 86-year championship dry spell.
Team personnel who attended the reunion included Jimmy Anderson, Bronson Arroyo, Jamie Brown, Cabrera, César Crespo, Damon, Brian Daubach, Lenny DiNardo, Keith Foulke, Bill Haselman, Adam Hyzdu, Ron Jackson, Gabe Kapler, Curt Leskanic, Derek Lowe, Mark Malaska, Dave McCarty, Ramiro Mendoza, Doug Mientkiewicz, Millar, Brad Mills, Mike Myers, Nixon, Ortiz, Ramirez, Calvin “Pokey” Reese, Phil Seibel, Earl Snyder, Dale Sveum, Mike Timlin, Varitek, Dave Wallace, Scott Williamson, and Kevin Youkilis.
Pedro Martinez was unable to attend the ceremony but spent time Monday in Boston with the Wakefield family and his former teammates. Manager Terry Francona and Nomar Garciaparra, who was traded midseason for Cabrera and Mientkiewicz, also were not in attendance.
The Boston Fire Department Quartet sang the national anthem, with Hanscom Air Force Base presenting the colors. A pair of F-35s from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing Unit and a KC-46 from the New Hampshire Air National Guard’s 157 th Air Refueling Wing performed the flyover at the anthem’s conclusion.
Said Damon: “It’s been such a beautiful, beautiful day.”