Yes, Tim Wakefield finally got his 200th win.

Nurudeen Alabi, 21, pleaded guilty today to manslaughter for the 2007 slaying of a kid coming home from school, rather than face trial for first-degree murder.

Alabi was sentenced to 17 years in prison, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. Prosecutors say they only reluctantly agreed to the change from first-degree murder - which could have meant life behind bars - because two key witnesses fled and then, when they were apprehended, vowed not to cooperate.

After consulting with the family of Luis Gerena, Jr., prosecutors accepted the plea agreement to ensure Alabi spent some time behind bars, rather than risk him going free in an acquittal. In a statement, Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said:

Most people of conscience, confronted with the cold-blooded murder of a truly innocent 13-year-old boy, would put aside the twisted code of silence that tells them not to testify. They would find the courage and the conscience to do the right thing. We've seen it happen many times before, and we’ve assisted hundreds of witnesses in making that choice safely. Unfortunately, the witnesses in this case did not have courage or conscience. It left us with an imperfect choice, but one that still brought some measure of closure, accountability, and resolution to Luis' family.

Alabi's accomplice and fellow Academy Homes gang member, Darrell Rodrigues, also pleaded guilty to his role in the teen's death before his scheduled trial in May. Rodrigues could be back on the streets before he turns 34.

According to prosecutors, Alabi and Rodrigues, along with a couple of female pals, drove over to Jackson Square on Jan. 12, 2007, planning to rob and shoot a rival from Heath Street. But they first came across Gerena, returning home from school in Charlestown:

Alabi and Rodrigues surrounded him, shot him multiple times, and stole his phone before fleeing back to [one of the women's] car on foot.

Boston Police report the arrest of a mother for leaving her baby in a locked car, just one day after a 17-month-old was found dead, abandoned in the back of a day-care van.

Police say officers on foot patrol around 10:45 a.m. were alerted by a passerby about the baby in a car outside 2201 Washington St. in Roxbury:

While approaching the scene, officers observed a large crowd gathered around a parked car. Upon looking inside the car, officers observed an infant child crying loudly and sweating heavily. Officers promptly called EMS to respond to the scene. In the interim, to ensure the safety and well-being of the child, officers employed the use of a 'slim jim' in order to gain entry to the car and access to the child. While officers were taking the child from the car, the child's mother showed up on scene and began hysterically crying and stating that she forgot that she had left her child in the car. The child was transported to the Boston Medical Center for treatment and evaluation purposes. The mother stated that she had been gone for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Idalia Grant, 27, was charged with neglect of a child.

Innocent, etc.

The Boston Fire Department reports a car fire four stories down in a garage at a Charlestown condo filled the garage with smoke.

Firefighters made short work of the fire underneath the Flagship Wharf building, 197 8 St., reported shortly after 1 p.m., but now must ventilate the structure to get rid of the heavy smoke, the department says.