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BOSTON — Boston Red Sox legendary pitcher Tim Wakefield and his wife are asking for ‘privacy’ after former teammate Curt Schilling shared their cancer diagnoses on his podcast without their permission.
Schilling, 56, said on The Curt Schilling Baseball Show podcast that Wakefield has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form of brain cancer” and that his wife Stacy has pancreatic cancer.
“Tim Wakefield, you remember Tim Wakefield, the knuckleballer, is sick,” Schilling. “And I talked with [former Red Sox pitcher] Doug Mirabelli yesterday, and this is not a message that Tim has asked anyone to share, and I don’t even know if he wants it shared, but as a Christian and as a man of faith I’ve seen prayer work and so I’m going to talk about it.”
The Red Sox released a statement on behalf of Wakefield and his wife, Stacy, on Thursday
“We are aware of the statements and inquiries about the health of Tim and Stacy Wakefield,” the Red Sox said in a statement on behalf of the Wakefields, shared with PEOPLE. “Unfortunately, this information has been shared publicly without their permission. Their health is a deeply personal matter they intended to keep private as they navigate treatment and work to tackle this disease.”
The statement continued, “Tim and Stacy are appreciative of the support and love that has always been extended to them and respectfully ask for privacy at this time.”
Shortly after Schilling’s Tuesday podcast surfaced, the sound bite made waves on social media.
“F— you Curt Schilling, that wasn’t your place!” Catherine Varitek, the wife of former Red Sox pitcher Jason Varitek, wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Wakefield, 57, pitched in the majors for 19 seasons, 17 of which were with the Red Sox. He was teammates with Schilling from 2004-07, a span that included the Red Sox winning the World Series in both 2004 and 2007
