Former Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe was brutally honest about his feelings regarding former teammate Curt Schilling, who turned down an invitation to attend Tuesday’s celebration of their 2004 Red Sox World Series team and the late Hall of Famer Tim Wakefield at Fenway Park.
Lowe explained that Schilling did “the right thing” by excusing himself from the ceremonies — which will take place before Boston’s home opener against the Orioles at Fenway Park — after his “bulls–t” comments, when he made Wakefield’s cancer diagnosis public against his wishes last September.
“[It was] bulls–t, what he did,” Lowe angrily said Monday at a luncheon honoring the 2004 World Series championship team to benefit the Foundation to Be Named Later, according to Mass Live. “I knew a lot. Golfed with [Wakefield], knew the whole story. And understanding what they wanted out as a family, and you do that? It’s just bulls–t. Again, [Schilling not attending], is the right thing.”
Lowe, who said he is not in contact with Schilling, went on to explain that he felt someone would have confronted Schilling if he attended the event, which isn’t the place for drama to unfold.
“I wasn’t asked about it, but I just feel that (his absence) is the consensus (choice among teammates),” Lowe said. “This isn’t the venue to have maybe somebody say something to him (about ignoring Wakefield’s wishes), which I think probably someone would have, especially in the evening — if you know what I mean.
“But we weren’t asked (our opinion). There was no questionnaire, or, ‘What do you think?’ I just think it was the right thing to do. This is probably the best scenario for everybody. Somebody, later in the evening, would have said something to him. And I’m not saying it would have been me. It just wasn’t the place for it.”
As for Schilling, he explained on social media that he declined the invitation to reunite with the 2004 Red Sox team because he didn’t want his presence to be a distraction.
“No I don’t. Not this time,” Schilling wrote to a fan on his Facebook page who said he should attend the festivities at Fenway Park, according to Boston.com. “It’s about the 04 team and Wake, and we all know the media, [‘The Boston Globe‘s Dan Shaughnessy] in particular, will be writing things that have nothing to do with either of those things, even more were I to attend.
“Let the focus be on 04 and Wakey and [Stacy]. I’ll forever regret what happened but I cannot in good conscience put my self in a position that would detract from the recognition that team and the Wakefields deserve. FWIW I wrote a letter to all the people whose opinion matters to me, so the people I care about know.”
Schilling faced backlash after he announced that Wakefield had “an aggressive form of brain cancer” and that Wakefield’s wife, Stacy, was also “very sick with pancreatic cancer” during an episode of his podcast in September 2023.
“This is not a message that Tim has asked anyone to share,” Schilling said at the time. “And I don’t even know if he wants it shared, but as a Christian and as a man of faith I have seen prayer work so I’m going to talk about it.”
Wakefield died at the age of 57 on Oct. 1, less than a week after Schilling made the news of his cancer battle public.
Stacy passed away on Feb. 28 after battling pancreatic cancer. She was 53.
The Red Sox released a statement after Schilling’s announcement, explaining that the information was shared by Schilling without permission.
Wakefield, 57, pitched for the Red Sox for 17 seasons and the knuckleballer is third on the team’s all-time wins list.
Tuesday’s festivities celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2004 World Series championship will feature nearly 40 members of the title team, as well as members of Wakefield’s family.
The ceremonies will also honor the memory of members of the Red Sox who have passed and former Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino, who died last week.
Prior to pregame ceremonies, members of the 2004 championship team will be presented with the “Reversed the Curse” sign by Governor Maura Healey, Mayor Michelle Wu, and DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo at the Hotel Commonwealth before boarding duck boats en route to Fenway Park, per MLB.com.
The sign was famously altered from “Reverse the Curse” to “Reversed the Curse” when the Red Sox won the World Series, ending the 86-year Curse of the Bambino.
