Tim Wakefield was forced to the disabled list for nearly two months last year by a stress fracture in his rib cage, but he said the emotional anguish of not being able to contribute as the Red Sox season fell apart was far more agonizing than the occasional sharp pains or shortness of breath.

The 40-year-old knuckleballer, who is entering his 13th season in Boston, had only been to the DL one other time in his career, when elbow inflammation sidelined him for 15 days in 1997. Being out of the rotation and limited to his fewest starts (23) since 2002 proved to be unbearable for a player who has always taken fierce pride in his reliability.

"It was sickening to be on the bench, not being able to help,'' said Wakefield, who allowed one earned run in two innings in the Sox' 12-9, 10-inning loss to the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday at City of Palms Park. "It hurt me inside, having to spend two months on (the DL), knowing what the team was going through.''

He was activated in mid-September, but Wakefield still wasn't the same, going 0-3 with a 7.52 ERA in his final starts. He added several extra weeks of rest to his offseason routine, avoiding workouts until nearly Dec. 1, which finally seemed to heal the injury. Wakefield said that it wasn't a factor at all yesterday, which is an encouraging sign for a Boston rotation that could be the strongest since he arrived in 1995.

"We've had pretty good one-through-three, maybe four, but not one-through-five, like we have this year,'' he said. "We've got five solid starters and experienced starters beside Pap (Jonathan Papelbon), but he proved himself last year.''

Wakefield, who negotiated a unique deal that basically gives the Sox a perpetual option to add one more year, said retirement isn't on his mind.

"Physically, I feel fine at 40,'' he said. "I plan to pitch as long as I can.''