Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale will change the jersey number he’s worn for the last seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox. The reason? Out of respect for Tim Wakefield, of course.

Wakefield wore the No. 49 for all 17 of his seasons with the Red Sox, retiring after the 2011 season with 200 career wins.

Sale will no wear No. 41, the same number he wore in college at Florida Gulf Coast University and with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League in 2009.

“(Wakefield) deserves to hold on to that number,” Sale said. “He had way too impressive of a career to give that out again. No way I wanted it.”

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