Wakefield wins over-40 duel with Big Unit

[June 26, 2008]  BOSTON (AP) -- In a matchup for the aged, 41-year-old Tim Wakefield outpitched 44-year-old Randy Johnson and the Boston Red Sox beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 Wednesday night.

And it was the youngest player in Boston's lineup, 24-year-old rookie Brandon Moss, who drove in the two runs Johnson allowed.

Not since Sept. 26, 1965, when Satchel Paige made a one-game comeback after a 12-year absence from the majors, had two pitchers of the combined age of Wakefield and Johnson started against each other in a Red Sox game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Paige, at 59 years, 81 days, allowed just one hit in three shutout innings. Bill Monbouquette, at 29 years, 45 days, pitched a complete game for a 5-2 win over the Kansas City Athletics.

They were a combined 88 years, 126 days old compared with the Wakefield-Johnson total of 86 years, 252 days.

Johnson was out of the game by the time Kevin Cash hit a three-run homer in the eighth off Juan Cruz. It was Cash's first homer since June 21, 2005, with Tampa Bay -- against Johnson when he was with the New York Yankees.

Coco Crisp hit three doubles for Boston while Arizona managed just three hits.

The starters worked quickly through the opposing lineups as they got some of their best results in more than a month.

Wakefield (5-5) was 1-4 in his previous eight starts. Johnson (4-6) had his best outing in five starts but has lost all of them.

Wakefield baffled the Diamondbacks with his knuckleball and allowed two hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked one.

Manny Delcarmen struck out two in a perfect eighth and Jonathan Papelbon struck out Chad Tracy for his 23rd save in 27 chances after Craig Hansen loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth.

Johnson went six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Moss, playing right field while lefty J.D. Drew rested against lefty Johnson, drove in two runs without getting a hit.

The Red Sox put runners at second and third with no outs in the second on a single by Mike Lowell and a double by Crisp. With one out, Moss had an RBI grounder.

Johnson struck out the leadoff batter in the sixth, then loaded the bases on a single by Lowell, a double by Crisp and the first intentional walk of Cash's career. Moss came through again with a long sacrifice fly.

Cash's eighth career homer followed a walk to Lowell and another double by Crisp.

Wakefield retired Arizona's first seven batters before Miguel Montero lined a single and moved up on a wild pitch. But Wakefield set down the next two hitters in the third and didn't allow another runner until Chris Young walked with two outs in the fifth. Then Cash threw him out trying to steal second.

Wakefield pitched a perfect sixth then gave up a one-out double in the seventh to Orlando Hudson. But he set down Conor Jackson on a fly out then ended the inning by getting Tracy, who drove in all four Arizona runs in Boston's 5-4 win Tuesday, to ground out.

Notes: Johnson and Wakefield have combined for 6,551 strikeouts in 6,660 1-3 innings. ... It was the first major league matchup of over-40 starters since 40-year-old Curt Schilling faced 45-year-old Roger Clemens last Sept. 16 at Fenway Park. The Yankees won 4-3. ... Johnson was 7-1 in his previous 10 starts against Boston. ... Arizona radio/television analyst Tom Candiotti, a former major league knuckleballer, threw early batting practice to the Diamondbacks. "I thought he did pretty well," manager Bob Melvin said.

[Associated Press; By HOWARD ULMAN]

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