In Tim Wakefield, Derek Lowe found a teammate, fellow golfer and truth-teller

On the field, in the clubhouse, on team flights and on the golf course, Derek Lowe and Tim Wakefield shared wins, losses, and lots of laughs.

But for Lowe, one of his lasting memories of Wakefield, who passed away Sunday from cancer at 57, came when Lowe was at a career low point.

Two seasons after winning 21 games in 2002 and a season after a 17-win campaign in 2003, Lowe struggled for much of the 2004 season. Thanks mostly to strong offensive support from a powerful Red Sox lineup, Lowe managed to win 14 games that year but finished with a 5.42 ERA, by far the worst of his eight seasons in Boston.

In September, a bad season turned worse as Lowe compiled a 6.39 ERA. On the final weekend of the season in Baltimore, manager Terry Francona informed Lowe he would not be part of the team’s postseason rotation but would instead contribute out of the bullpen.

Lowe was irate and gave serious thought to going home before the playoffs began. But a conversation with Wakefield changed his mind.

“He was a great listener,” recalled Lowe from his home in Fort Myers. “But he wasn’t afraid to tell you the truth, either. He’d listen you you and say, ‘I hear ya, but I don’t necessarily agree with you.’ You need those type of friends in your life. You don’t need yes guys. He wasn’t afraid to listen, but also to tell you the truth. You might not have wanted to hear it at the time, but as time passed, it was something you truly respected. Not a lot of guys will do that. They’ll listen kind of half-assed and not really listen, but just say, ‘Yeah, I agree with you,’ and then move on. He wasn’t that type of guy.

“Wakey was truthful with me. He said, ‘Would you pitch you right now?’ And you had to think about it. He said, ‘If you look at our rotation right now (which featured Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Bronson Arroyo and Wakefield), would you pitch you?’ And I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Well, there’s your answer. But if you go home right now, you realize you’ll never pitch for this organization ever again. And how can you help us if you go home?’ Again, that was the truth.

“In the moment, you’ve got your pouty pants on and all you’re doing is thinking about yourself. You’re thinking about how this is killing me financially and I don’t know where I’m going to go next. But then someone flips it around and asks the question: ‘We’re trying to win a World Series. Do you believe you can help (as a starter)?’ And again, I said, ‘No.’ He was just giving some honest feedback, along with Jason Varitek. And they were both correct.”

Lowe has found himself recalling that bit of guidance a lot over the last few days, recalling Wakefield’s spirit and generosity, and specifically, Wakefield’s decision to volunteer to pitch in a mop-up spot weeks after the two had spoken in Baltimore.

“He single-handedly saved my career in Game 3 (of the 2004 ALCS) against the Yankees,” said Lowe. “That was my…