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Varitek, Wakefield on HOF ballot for 1st time
- Updated: November 21, 2016
BOSTON — Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield, cornerstone players for the 2004 and ’07 World Series-champion Red Sox teams, are on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.
A switch-hitting catcher known for his leadership behind the plate and his relentless approach in all facets of the game, Varitek played exclusively for Boston in a career that started in 1997 and ended in 2011.
In what proved to be a masterful move by then-general manager Dan Duquette, the Red Sox acquired Varitek and Derek Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb on July 31, 1997.
It was also Duquette who took a flier on Wakefield in 1995 after he had been released by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nobody would have guessed at the time of that transaction that Wakefield would wear a Boston uniform for 17 years.
The knuckleballer would go on to have a remarkable career, winning 200 games — 186 of them for Boston — and becoming an …
