What does the 49 Patch on Red Sox jerseys mean?

As the Boston Red Sox take the field throughout the 2024 season, you may notice a heart-shaped patch with the number 49 on their uniform sleeves.

For those unaware of its meaning, here is some background.

Explaining the 49 patch on Red Sox jerseys

The patch’s purpose is to honor the late Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and his late wife Stacy Wakefield, who both passed away recently. Tim Wakefield lost his battle with brain cancer on Oct. 1, 2023 at the age of 57 while his wife Stacy succumbed to pancreatic cancer at age 53 on Feb. 28, 2024.  

At their home opener on Tuesday, April 9 (poetically 4/9) against the Baltimore Orioles, the Red Sox held a joint pregame ceremony honoring the 20th anniversary of the 2004 championship team and late Wakefields. Their 18-year-old daughter Brianna threw out the ceremonial first pitch to her dad’s battery mate Jason Varitek as the Fenway faithful erupted with applause.

A key member of the 2004 Red Sox, Wakefield watched from above as his 2004 teammates stood behind the mound in support of Brianna as she delivered her ceremonial first pitch.

The memorial patch displays Wakefield’s number 49 shaped like a heart in tribute to his role as Honorary Chairman of the Red Sox Foundation. Fans who attended the game on April 9 also received a pin that replicated the patch on the Red Sox’s uniforms.

Remembering Red Sox legend Tim Wakefield's storied career

Selected in the eighth round as a first baseman out of Florida Tech in the 1988 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wakefield found his way to Beantown after appearing in only 37 games for the Pirates in 1992 and 1993 with a 14-12 record and a 4.17 ERA.

Seeking to revamp his career after a 6-11 record and 5.61 ERA in 1993, Wakefield consulted Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro and Phil’s brother Joe on how to throw a knuckleball. Wakefield’s learning of the knuckleball ended up being the turning point his career needed.  

Thanks to the knuckleball, Wakefield paved his way into Red Sox lore. Wakefield spent 17 seasons in Boston from 1995-2011. The knuckleballer was a 2009 all-star and a two-time World Series champion in 2004 and 2007. The 2004 team of course broke the 86-year curse of the Bambino by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. In 2007, the Red Sox swept another Fall Classic by taking out the Colorado Rockies in four games.

For his entire 19-year career in Pittsburgh and Boston, Wakefield won 200 games on the nose with a 4.41 ERA. Wakefield’s 186 wins with the Red Sox ranks third on Boston’s all-time wins list behind Roger Clemens and Cy Young. Clemens and Young finished tied for the most wins in Red Sox history with 192.

Wakefield also ranks first in Red Sox history in innings pitched with 3,006.0 and second in strikeouts with 2,046. The righty is the only pitcher in Red Sox history to throw for 3,000 or more innings and is one of two Red Sox hurlers along with Clemens to strike out 2,000 or more batters.

In an age where starting pitchers frequently find themselves on the injured list, Wakefield’s durability cannot be understated. In his entire career, Wakefield made 463 starts and tossed a total of 3226.1 innings. Wakefield made a Red Sox record 430 starts as he is the only pitcher in team history to make 400-plus starts. How impressive is that stat? Clemens ranks second, and far behind Wakefield, on the Red Sox all-time starts list with 382.

So next time you watch a Red Sox game either in-person or on your TV, take note of the 49 on the sleeves of the Boston uniforms. The life and legacy of one of the most important pitchers in Red Sox history is being remembered throughout the 2024 season and will never be forgotten.