Red Sox to Wear Heart-Shaped 49 Patch for Tim Wakefield

The Boston Red Sox will wear a special patch on their jersey in memory of former pitcher Tim Wakefield throughout the 2024 season.

Today, the Major League Baseball club announced they would be adding a navy blue heart with Wakefield’s #49 in a red Boston Red Sox jersey-style font trimmed in white on the sleeve of their uniforms. The Red Sox say the patch is in the shape of a heart as a nod to Wakefield’s role as Honourary Chairman of the Red Sox Foundation charity.

***The Red Sox will wear a heart patch in 2024 in memory of Tim Wakefield (photo: Red Sox)***

Fans will be able to purchase their own #49 patch at the Red Sox Team Store later this season; proceeds will benefit the Red Sox Foundation.

Additionally, all those attending the Red Sox 2024 home opener against Baltimore on April 9 will receive a special Wakefield pin. This pin will have the same design as the club’s jersey patch.

***Fans attending the home opener will receive a #49 heart pin (photo Red Sox)***

Tim Wakefield was one of the most enduring and beloved figures on the Red Sox, playing with the team from 1995 until his retirement following the 2011 season. He was renowned for his mastery of the knuckleball, a pitch that contributed significantly to his career longevity and success. Over his 17 seasons with the team, he compiled an impressive record, including two World Series championships in 2004 and 2007, earning him a special place in the hearts of Red Sox fans. Wakefield died at the age of 57 this past October; his wife Stacy sadly also passed just five months later.

If oddball baseball memorial patch trivia is your thing, this will be the first time the Red Sox will have worn a patch honouring a former member of their club in a season that didn’t end in “2.” The Red Sox last wore a memorial patch in 2022 for broadcaster Jerry Remy; prior to that, they paid tribute to players Johnny Pesky in 2012 and Ted Williams in 2002 and owner Jean Yawkey in 1992.

Prior to 1992, the Red Sox wore simple black armbands to honour their fallen — player Tony Conigliaro in 1990, owner Tom Yawkey in 1976, and player Harry Agganis in 1955.

The San Diego Padres will also wear a heart patch in 2024, in memory of team owner Peter Seider.