Kirby opened up his outing by tossing Wakefield's signature knuckleball to leadoff hitter Jarren Duran. Kirby's knuckler certainly wasn't as polished as Wakefield's with the 73 mph pitch staying up and out of the zone for a ball.
This isn't the first time Kirby honored Wakefield in this way... Wakefield died that day at the age of 57.
The rare knuckleball has already been seen on the mound at Fenway this season. San Diego Padres pitcher Michael Waldron, who was mentored by Wakefield, threw 31 of them during an emotional start against the Red Sox a month ago.
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