BoSox Name Wakefield Closer

June 12, 1999 / 8:33 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A trip to New York turned out to be extremely costly for Boston's pitching staff.

Bret Saberhagen was put back on the disabled list Saturday after cutting his left foot at a party, and with Tom Gordon hurting, the Red Sox said Tim Wakefield will be taking over as the team's closer.

"I don't care. Whatever it takes to win games," Wakefield said before Boston's 4-2 loss to the New York Mets.

Saberhagen, on the disabled list from May 6-June 1 because of a strained right shoulder, needed five stitches to close a cut sustained Thursday night when he invited teammates to a party at his Long Island home.

"It happened out on the pool deck," he said Friday. "I'm glad it was me and not one of the other guys. I would have felt terrible if it had happened to someone else at one of my parties."

To replace him, Boston recalled Kirk Bullinger from Triple-A Pawtucket, where he had six saves and a 3.00 ERA in 11 relief appearances.

Mark Portugal (3-4) will take Saberhagen's place in the rotation Sunday.

Gordon blew his second consecutive save opportunity Friday night after converting a major-league record 54 straight, then said his right elbow was hurting again. He spent a month on the disabled list earlier this season because of the elbow.

'I don't care. Whatever it takes to win games,' Tim Wakefield said of his move to the bullpen. (AP)

Boston decided to send him home for an MRI on Monday and, anticipating another trip to the DL, shift Wakefield into the bullpen. The Red Sox intend to bring up Jin Ho Cho from Triple-A Pawtucket to take over Wakefield's scheduled start Monday night against Minnesota at Fenway Park.

Wakefield, 32, has made 165 career starts and 16 relief appearances. The knuckleballer is 3-6 with a 5.49 ERA in 11 starts and three relief appearances this season.

"He's been in the bullpen before," Red Sox manager Jimy Williams said. "He's done good out there, and we're in a situation right now where we need somebody."

While Gordon is 11-for-13 in save chances, the rest of Boston's bullpen is 6-for-16. Wakefield went 2-for-2 while Gordon was sidelined from April 18-May 10.

He's pitched three ninth innings for us this year, so he's not unfamiliar with it," Williams said.

Cho, 23, was 0-3 with an 8.20 ERA in four starts with the Red Sox last year, his first professional season, and went 8-3 in 18 minor league starts. He is 7-1 with a 3.41 ERA this season at Pawtucket, striking out a team-high 58 in 71 1-3 innings.