Curt Schilling won't attend Red Sox' 2004 championship 20th anniversary celebration
BOSTON -- When the 2004 Red Sox are welcomed to Fenway Park for a 20th anniversary celebration of their curse-busting World Series victory, Curt Schilling will not be present.
The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy reported Wednesday that Schilling has declined the team's invitation, with WBZ-TV's Dan Roche confirming the news.
Can confirm @Dan_Shaughnessy report that Curt Schilling has declined an invitation to be at @redsox home Opening Day. @wbz
— Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) March 20, 2024
Earlier this week, the team announced plans for the celebration for Opening Day on April 9, noting that all members from the 2004 team would be invited. Schilling's post-playing career has included some rocky moments with the Red Sox, stemming from resentment with team ownership. Despite that, Schilling has shown up for several ceremonies at Fenway Park, including his own team hall of fame induction in 2012, a 10-year anniversary celebration of the 2004 team in 2014, Pedro Martinez's jersey retirement in 2015, and an Opening Day ring ceremony in 2019.
Schilling made four starts in the 2004 postseason, two with the famed bloody sock due to an ankle injury. After getting shelled for six runs on six hits in Game 1 of the ACLS against the Yankees, Schilling allowed just one run over seven innings in Game 6. In his lone World Series start against the Cardinals, he pitched six shutout innings in Game 2, in a series the Red Sox would eventually sweep.
This year's opening day ceremony will include the honoring of the lives of both Tim and Stacy Wakefield. Schilling revealed on a podcast in late September that both Tim and Stacey were battling cancer, diagnoses which had not been made public at that time. The Red Sox released a statement that said that the information was shared publicly without the Wakefields' permission, and that the couple had intended to keep their medical situation private. Tim Wakefield died just days later, and Stacy Wakefield died in late February.
Wakefield, who spent 17 seasons on the Red Sox' pitching staff, was also a member of the 2004 team. His 2004 postseason is widely remembered for his selfless move to give up his start in the ALCS to spare the bullpen from getting overtaxed in a Game 3 blowout loss to the Yankees. He then threw three scoreless relief innings in the Red Sox' Game 5 win over the Yankees.
The Red Sox will wear a patch with Wakefield's jersey number inside of a heart on their jersey sleeves this season.