Red Sox

A candid Derek Lowe says Curt Schilling’s absence is ‘best scenario’ for Red Sox home opener

"Understanding what they wanted out as a family, and you do that? It’s just bulls---."

Derek Lowe won a World Series with Curt Schilling in 2004. Jim Davis / The Boston Globe

April 8, 2024

Curt Schilling will not be in attendance at Fenway Park on Tuesday when the Red Sox honor both their 2004 World Series championship team and the life of Tim Wakefield as part of the team’s home-opener ceremony.

Speaking with MassLive’s Sean McAdam on Monday, former Red Sox pitcher and 2004 World Series champion Derek Lowe believes Schilling’s absence is a necessary and welcomed outcome.

Schilling, who turned down the invitation to appear with his 2004 teammates during Tuesday’s home opener, drew the ire of many of those ex-teammates and Red Sox fans when he chose to reveal that both Tim and Stacy Wakefield were battling cancer during a podcast in September 2023.

The Red Sox released a statement on behalf of the Wakefields shortly after Schilling’s announcement, noting, “Unfortunately, this information has been shared publicly without their permission.”

Tim Wakefield passed away less than a week after Schilling’s public reveal on Oct. 1, 2023 after battling brain cancer. He was 57. Stacy Wakefield passed away at 53 on Feb. 28 after battling pancreatic cancer.

“I wasn’t asked about it, but I just feel that (his absence) is the consensus (choice among teammates),” Lowe told McAdam. “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.”

Lowe echoed his 2004 teammate Trot Nixon’s message in terms of not playing a role in Schilling’s absence. Still, that didn’t preclude Lowe from issuing some harsh words regarding Schilling’s actions.

“Bulls—, what he did,” Lowe told McAdam of Schilling’s comments. “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—. Again, (Schilling’s absence) is the right thing.”