Red Sox Nation continues mourning the death earlier this month of beloved long-time pitcher Tim Wakefield.
Former teammate and Hall of Famer David Ortiz was asked recently by TMZ for his thoughts about Wakefield.
The usually-jovial Ortiz, who won a pair of World Series titles (2004 and 2007) with Wakefield, made it clear he misses his friend.
“Great guy, man. Great guy. He was like my family, man,” Ortiz said.
Wakefield died Sunday, Oct. 1 after losing his battle with brain cancer.
That was just five days after former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling went rogue and told the world about Wakefield’s diagnosis, announcing it on his podcast.
Schilling also disclosed that Wakefield’s wife Stacy has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Schilling admitted he did not receive permission from the Wakefields to share their information, and people around the Red Sox and family were “furious,” according to the Boston Globe.
After Schilling’s announcement, the Red Sox released a statement saying the Wakefields had intended to keep the news private.
Wakefield pitched for the Red Sox from 1995 to 2011 after starting his career with the Pirates.
Drafted by Pittsburgh as a first baseman in 1988, Wakefield started toying with a knuckleball in the minors and transitioned to pitching in 1990.
Wakefield finished third in voting for the 1995 American League Cy Young Award, going 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA.
His first and only All-Star nod came in 2009.
Wakefield won 200 games over 19 MLB seasons, including 186 with the Red Sox, which is third-most all-time in Boston behind Cy Young and Roger Clemens (192).
Following his retirement after the 2011 season, Wakefield remained a fixture in Boston through his appearances for the club and his charity work in the community.