Tim Wakefield struck out his 2,000th batter with the Red Sox and earned his 199th career victory today, leading Boston to a 12-8 victory over the scuffling Seattle Mariners.
Wakefield was far from dominant in the win — he gave up seven earned runs in 6 1-3 innings. But his effort, combined with the Sox’ 17 hits, was enough.
Only Wakefield and Roger Clemens have fanned 2,000 batters with Boston.
Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Jarrod Saltalamacchia collected three hits apiece for the Sox. Kevin Youkilis hit his 14th home run of the season in the first inning.
It was the fourth straight win for Boston, including a three-game sweep of the Mariners. They’re home against Kansas City on Monday (7:10 p.m., NESN).
Seattle, meanwhile, has lost 15 straight.
