•  Mirabelli served as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher, adeptly handling all but 2 1/3 of the innings pitched by the knuckleballer in 2004. Although he usually only played once every five days, he made the most of his opportunities. He homered once every 17.8 at-bats, and 47% of his hits went for extra bases.

•  On April 21 in Toronto, he clubbed two home runs. It was the second two-homer game of his career and his first as a member of the Red Sox.

•  After Jason Varitek had caught two straight extra-inning games at the beginning of July, Doug was asked to catch Curt Schilling in Atlanta on July 3. He responded with his second career grand slam, powering the Sox to a much-needed 6-1 win.

•  He played in four straight games from August 23 through 26 while Varitek served a suspension for his role in a brawl with the Yankees. Mirabelli went 5-for-16 during that span, including a three-run homer on the 24th that gave the Sox a 5-4 win which started a ten-game winning streak.

•  Doug did well all year against the Yankees. He went 7-for-18 against New York in 2004, with three doubles, two home runs, and seven RBI. On September 25, he matched a career high with a double and four RBI as the Sox scored seven runs in the seventh to beat the Yankees 12-5.

•  When the Red Sox swept the Angels in three games, Mirabelli didn't get a chance to get into the Division Series. He would have started in Game 4 when Wakefield was scheduled to pitch, but the series didn't go that far.

•  He was 0-for-1 in the ALCS, popping out to second in his only at-bat, a pinch-hitting assignment in Game 3.

•  Doug finally got to start in Game 1 of the World Series, as he caught Wakefield's only start of the postseason. He went 1-for-3 and scored a run in the 11-9 Red Sox win.

Dougie is a true professional. He's meant a lot to me being such a great catcher. It's a hard job what he has to do. Not only being my personal catcher, but being the backup, not getting very many at-bats, and having to go into blowout games, get minimal at-bats. But he stays prepared. He's always ready.

-- Tim Wakefield

Jason Varitek and Doug Mirabelli wave from a Duck Boat in the Rolling Rally.

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