Wakefield has surgery on herniated disc

BOSTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield has undergone back surgery but is expected to be ready to play by the start of the 2010 spring training.

Wakefield, a right-handed knuckleball pitcher, missed most of the second half of the season because of back problems. Doctors Thursday repaired a herniated disc and removed a loose fragment during the operation.

They said Wakefield could immediately begin rehabilitation and should be healed before spring training begins.

Wakefield, 43, has played 17 years in the major leagues, the first two with Pittsburgh before joining the Red Sox in 1995. He was 11-5 with a 4.58 earned run average last season, with all of the wins before the All-Star break.

He has a career record of 189-162 and a lifetime ERA of 4.33. His 175 wins for Boston have him 17 short of the team record held by Roger Clemens.

The Red Sox have a deadline of five days after the end of the World Series to decide whether to exercise an option that would pay Wakefield $4 million next season.