The Boston Red Sox no longer have Jason Varitek or Tim Wakefield on their roster. The last time this was the case, I was a student in High School.

Much has been said of Wakefield and his selflessness in regards to the team, and the different roles he was willing to take during his Red Sox career. The story that has been left unrepeated, and the one I think should be recalled, is his debut season with Boston in 1995.

I recall the 1995 season, but not really the pitching staff – Clemens, Zane Smith, Erik Hanson, Vaughn Eschelman, Rheal Cormier and some knuckleballer picked up after being released from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemens was the Ace, they guy who had returned to a sub-3 ERA after an off year, who happened to pitch on a team that couldn’t score runs (11^th in AL). Really, at the start of the year, the fan base was thinking of the rotation as Clemens and then a whole bunch of hoping. And that hoping was answered.

On August 14^th, a Red Sox pitcher had a 14-1 record, a 1.65 ERA, 6 complete games, 1 shutout. If you told Red Sox fans in March of 1995 that a pitcher would have those stats at that point in the year, every fan would have said it could only be Clemens if it were even possible.

Yet, those were the numbers held by knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. He was challenging the single Season ERA record of 0.96 set by Dutch Leonard, and leading the team in wins and ERA. He would finish the remainder of the season with a 16-8 overall record, and an ERA of 2.95. He led the team in wins, Innings pitched, and finished with the second lowest ERA in baseball to Seattle’s hurler Randy Johnson.  He finished in the top 10 in wins, win loss %, WHIP and Hits per 9innings. He was third in the CY Young voting. This was what was expected of Clemens – and what Wakefield provided.

He was in the summer of 1995 what Pedro Martinez was throughout his career in Boston– a game you didn’t want to miss, and a game you came to expect the Red sox to win. The close to that season paralleled the close to his career – Red Sox Nation hoping he could set a record,  and watching as it slipped just out of his grasp.

Of course, every pitcher needs a catcher. In 1997 the Red Sox acquired their best catcher since Carlton Fisk went to the other Sox.

Jason Varitek.  The Captain.  Tek. Varitek has been praised for his preparation and ability for calling a game behind the plate. While I could repeat much of what has been said about him, I want to point out the 3 seasons that I think highlight his importance to the Red Sox, and that I think show how valuable he was to Red Sox pitchers while he was behind the plate: 2000; 2001; 2006.

June 7^th, 2001 Detroit player Shane Halter hits a foul ball behind home plate that Jason Varitek catches with a dive that makes the web gem highlights for the rest of the month. It also breaks his left elbow, ending his season.  The pitching staff when Varitek is behind the plate had a 2.97 ERA; and when Varitek was not behind the plate it had a 4.64 ERA. In 2006 Varitek is again hurt, this time at the end of July, and returns in September. The Red sox pitching staff had a 4.53 ERA during the time when Varitek was playing, and had a record of 77-55. While out, the Red Sox record parallels the collapse of last September: 9-21 and the pitching staff had a 5.81 ERA. The Red Sox had their least number of team wins in 2000, 2001, and 2006 during Varitek’s time in Boston as a regular, everyday player.

In 2000 Tek was healthy, but as with all catchers he needed says off. The pitching staff included both Wakefield and Pedro Martinez, along with these “notables”: Ramon Martinez, Jeff Fassero, Pete Schourek, Rolando Arrojo, Tomo Ohka, and Brian Rose.  The pitching staff had an ERA of 3.96 with Tek behind the plate, and the Red Sox were 70-50 in the games he started. With backup catcher Scott Hatteberg the team ERA ballooned to 5.02, and the Sox were 15-27.

And then there is Varitek’s positioning and ability to block and protect the plate from runners coming down the line, and being aware of the game situation. Ask Eric Byrnes about his ability to do that…

Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek – guaranteed Boston Red Sox Hall of Famers.

For what they’ve done and meant for this franchise and fan base, – #’s 49 and 33 should probably join 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14, 27, and 42 on the right field façade.