Castiglione caps Hall of Fame career in Boston booth with Frick Award

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Joe Castiglione received the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence mainly for his distinguished work over a Red Sox-record 42 seasons.

But any discussion of his career leads to the magical 2004 season, when the Red Sox vanquished the Yankees in the American League Championship Series by becoming the first club to overcome a 3-0 series deficit, then beat the Cardinals for Boston’s first World Series title since 1918.

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Any title is special. However, overcoming a 3-0 deficit had never been done in baseball and hasn’t been accomplished since. Two clinching moments. Does Castiglione pick history or the final accomplishment?

Well, he can have both.

“I would say they’re equal,” Castiglione said. “It’s the greatest comeback of all time. That might have a slight edge, because it had never happened before, down three games to none.

“When Pokey Reese threw [Ruben Sierra] out, and the Red Sox were the first team in history to come from three games back in the hole. I said, ‘Move Over, Babe,’ which was Ernie Harwell’s song [Harwell, one of Castiglione’s role models and the famed Tigers broadcaster, wrote it and former Tigers pitcher Bill Slayback sang it during Hank Aaron’s chase of Babe Ruth’s home run record].

“Because the Red Sox finally beat the Yankees when it really mattered -- a championship on the line. It was exactly 100 years since 1904, when Jack Chesbro threw a wild pitch and the Red Sox won the pennant, but there was no World Series that year.”

However …

“The season would not have been fulfilling if they didn’t win the World Series,” Castiglione said.

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Castiglione’s Frick Award and the reflections on the comeback 20 years ago go hand-in-hand. That is quite fine with Castiglione, whose name now christens the Red Sox’s home radio booth. For a man whose voice is the soundtrack of more than four decades for Red Sox fans, the acceptance speech on Saturday was a challenge.

The late Gerry Fraley was also honored on Saturday with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award for writers. Fraley covered the Phillies, Braves and Rangers over a renowned career before he passed away in 2019 at age 64.

“The difficult thing for me is I’m used to reporting on other people, not talking about myself,” Castiglione said.

After a speech full of gratitude and humor, Castiglione re-entered his comfort zone. Scheduled was a panel of mostly former Red Sox players discussing the ‘04 comeback and title. However, Pedro Martinez and Trot Nixon were not able to make it because of the software snarl that affected travel.

But Hall of Fame Red Sox legend David Ortiz and Yankees famed and beloved manager Joe Torre took the stage with Castiglione, who brought out the stories.

Showing fairness that comes across in his play-by-play, Castiglione broadened the conversation. Yes, the 2004 Red Sox are to be celebrated. But a year before, Aaron Boone broke Boston hearts with a home run that snatched the ALCS from the Sox.

That was the hottest rivalry in baseball or any sport at the time, with even Torre and Red Sox manager Terry Francona wondering if they were too close to flames.

“You play 18, 19 times a season,” Torre said. “After one of the series was over, either Terry Francona would call me or I would call him and say, ‘I’m glad this crap is over.’”

But did anyone want it to end?

Castiglione’s storytelling magic rubbed off on Torre and Ortiz. They took time to remember the late Tim Wakefield, a Red Sox knuckleball pitcher extraordinaire who passed away from cancer on Oct. 1, 2023.

Wakefield’s role in both series was never heroic. He gave up Boone’s homer in ‘03.

“He just walked off with his head down,” Torre said. “You talk about baseball, to me it’s the game of life. Tim Wakefield had a heck of a year, and all of a sudden it’s like falling off a cliff. He didn’t deserve that.”

The Red Sox were being blown out in Game 3 in ‘04. Wakefield stepped up for 3 1/3 innings and was tagged for five runs in that 19-8 loss. But Castiglione asked Ortiz if those innings, which kept the Sox pitching staff fresh enough to help a comeback, “rallied the team.”

Set up to praise a teammate and friend, Ortiz knocked it out of the park.

“He was the perfect guy for the organization,” Ortiz said.

Same could be said for Castiglione, the perfect guy for the broadcast booth at an unmatched time in baseball history -- and for many years before and after.