Editor's note: This note originally ran Friday

On Saturday, nearly 18 years after he last stepped to a mound in Pittsburgh, Wakefield returns to the city where he started his career.

On September 30, 1993, Wakefield tossed a shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies. It would be his final start with the Pirates. He spent the 1994 season toiling in the minors. The Pirates gave up on him in April 1995, and he’s been with the Red Sox ever since.

Now, 6,476 days later, he returns to Pittsburgh to start Saturday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only one pitcher in MLB history has had a longer period between his final home start for one team and his first road start against that team.

Jamie Moyer made his final start for the Chicago Cubs on October 2, 1988, and didn’t return there as an opponent until August 22, 2006. At 6,532 days, he edges Wakefield by just 56.

Though it will be his first trip back to the Steel City, it won’t be the first time that Wakefield has faced the Pirates. In 2005, he pitched seven shutout innings, but Boston’s offense didn’t provide a single run of support. Alan Embree wound up taking the loss, as the Pirates won 2-0.

Interestingly, Wakefield actually has a 20-inning scoreless streak going when pitching in Pittsburgh. His tenure in Pittsburgh ended with back-to-back shutouts at home in 1993.