Red Sox legend Wade Boggs announces he has prostate cancer

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Red Sox

“I’ve never been a goal-oriented person but with the strength and support of my family and my faith in God, I’m going to ring that damn bell.”

Wade Boggs waves to fans at Fenway Park at the end of the ceremony to retire his number 26. His Hall of Fame plaque is at his side.

Wade Boggs had his No. 26 jersey retired by the Red Sox in 2016. John Tlumacki / Boston Globe

Red Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs announced Saturday that he has prostate cancer.

Boggs, 66, revealed his diagnosis on social media.

“I’ve never been a goal oriented person but with the strength and support of my family and my faith in God I will ring that damn bell,” Boggs wrote on X.

Boggs played 11 seasons with the Red Sox, from 1982 to 1992. He hit .338 during his time in Boston while winning five batting titles. Only Ted Williams has a higher career batting average (.344) with the Red Sox than Boggs.

A 12-time All-Star, Boggs finished his career with five seasons with the Yankees (1993-97) and two with the Rays (1998-99). He won a World Series title, in New York in 1996.

Boggs was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 and had his No. 26 jersey retired by the Red Sox in 2016.

“I was hoping this day would come,” Boggs said at his jersey retirement ceremony at Fenway Park over eight years ago. “When you think about a player getting his number retired — that nobody’s ever going to wear that uniform again — it’s something that resonates through eternity. Just because I made the Hall of Fame or something like that, it’s not a given. . . . This is the last piece of my baseball puzzle. My journey is over and I’m back home.”