Wakefield 's vaunted knuckleball went flat en route to the plate .
Wakefield 's vaunted knuckleball is the physics - defying curio that had captured the hearts of Sox fans and had made him a millionaire many times over .
Wakefield 's vaunted knuckleball , the physics - defying curio that had captured the hearts of Sox fans and had made him a millionaire many times over , went flat en route to the plate .