Controversial Pitcher Declines Invitation to Boston Red Sox's World Series Reunion

The Boston Red Sox will be holding multiple celebrations before their home opener against the Baltimore Orioles on April 9, but Curt Schilling won't be there for either of them.

Prior to first pitch, the 2004 World Series team will be holding a reunion on the field, 20 years after they broke the Curse of the Bambino. This isn't the first time the squad will be coming together at Fenway Park, although it is the first time they will be doing so without teammate Tim Wakefield.

The knuckleballer, who spent 17 years with the Red Sox and a handful more in the TV studio, died in October after a battle with cancer. His wife, Stacy, also died due to cancer in February.

Part of the pregame festivities will include honoring the late couple, which is why Schilling won't be present.

Back in September, Schilling revealed on his podcast that Wakefield was sick. The information was not public at the time, however, and he did not have permission to share the news, so his actions angered Wakefield's family and many of his former teammates.

As a result, Schilling has opted not to attend the 2004 World Series reunion next month, according to the Boston Globe and MassLive.com. Per their sources, Schilling did not want to be a distraction while the Wakefields were being remembered. 

It was somewhat notable that Schilling was invited at all, given his other controversies over the years.

Schilling is an outspoken conservative who joined Breitbart News, a far-right media outlet, in 2016. He was fired from his position at ESPN due to anti-transgender social media posts, has a collection of Nazi memorabilia from World War II and supported lynching journalists at the January 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

On paper, Schilling appeared to be a serious candidate to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. However, his off-the-field behavior and regular run-ins with the media made it difficult for Schilling to gain traction on the ballot before falling off in 2022.

Schilling went 216-146 with a 3.46 ERA, 1.147 WHIP and 3,116 strikeouts in his MLB career. He was a six-time All-Star who won two World Series with the Red Sox and one with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Between the 2004 ALCS and 2004 World Series, Schilling went 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 0.692 WHIP. Without him, the Red Sox would not have gone even more than 86 years without a title.

Wakefield, meanwhile, started Game 1 of the World Series that fall, and he was long considered a fan-favorite in Boston.