Wade Boggs declared cancer-free after prostate cancer battle

BOSTON: Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs has revealed that he has been declared cancer-free, two years after first announcing a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

The former Boston Red Sox star made the announcement on Friday night after throwing a ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park before the Red Sox faced the Tampa Bay Rays.

Boggs, 67, appeared alongside several other retired Red Sox legends, including Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Jim Rice, as the club marked the 125th anniversary of its first home game.

"I'm a cancer survivor now. Prostate cancer is null and void. Thank God," Boggs said.

He explained that early testing was key to his diagnosis in 2024, followed by radiation and hormone therapy in Florida.

He used the moment to urge others to take preventative action and get regular screenings.

Boggs spent 11 seasons with Boston before later playing for the New York Yankees, where he won the 1996 World Series, and the Tampa Bay Rays.

He retired in 1999 with 3,010 hits and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 on his first ballot appearance.

Reflecting on his time in Boston, he added that he was offered a lucrative seven-year contract by Boston Red Sox owner Jean Yawkey, but the deal was withdrawn after her death, which he feels is often misunderstood.

"I think the one thing that's lost in translation is that Mrs. [Jean] Yawkey had offered me a seven-year deal to stay with the Red Sox for substantial money. And then, coincidentally, her dying, and the offer was taken off the table," Boggs said.