Worcester Red Sox | |||||
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Minor league affiliations | |||||
Class | Triple-A | ||||
League | International League (2022–present) | ||||
Division | East Division | ||||
Previous leagues | Triple-A East (2021) | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Team | Boston Red Sox | ||||
Team data | |||||
Name | Worcester Red Sox (2021–present) | ||||
Colors | Blue, red, yellow, white | ||||
Mascots | Smiley Ball, Woofster, Roberto the Rocket [1] | ||||
Ballpark | Polar Park (2021–present) | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Diamond Baseball Holdings [2] | ||||
President | Charles Steinberg [3] | ||||
Manager | Chad Tracy [4] | ||||
Media | Radio: WORC-FM (Wed–Sat games) and WWFX (Sun & Tue games) [5] Streaming: MiLB.TV TV: NESN+ (select games) |
The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. [lower-alpha 1] Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. The team competes in the International League, known as the Triple-A East for the 2021 season, [7] and plays home games at Polar Park in Worcester, Massachusetts.
In February 2015, a group of New England business leaders, led by Larry Lucchino, purchased the Pawtucket Red Sox, Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox since 1973. [8] By mid-April, ownership was exploring moving the team from Pawtucket to Providence, Rhode Island. [9] In September, Governor of Rhode Island Gina Raimondo stated that the land in Providence being considered for a stadium, "was not suitable and there were too many obstacles that remained." [10] During 2016, a feasibility study was conducted on potential renovations of the team's Pawtucket ballpark, McCoy Stadium; and from mid-2017 to mid-2018, building a new ballpark in Pawtucket was explored. [11] [12]
A financing arrangement for partial public-funding of new stadium in Pawtucket was rejected by team ownership, who announced on August 17, 2018, that the team would relocate to a new stadium in Worcester, Massachusetts, in April 2021. [13] While it was initially reported that team would be named the Worcester Red Sox, the club announced a "name-that-team" competition in November 2018. [14] The team name was officially announced on November 25, 2019, [15] and confirmed to be the Worcester Red Sox with "WooSox" as the nickname. [16] The team's mascot, Smiley Ball, was introduced in Worcester on October 2, 2020. [17] The dog mascot, Woofster, was introduced in Worcester on August 26, 2021. [18] Roberto the Rocket was also introduced in Worcester on May 19, 2022. [19]
Like Providence, Worcester fielded a short-lived major league ballclub in the early 1880s, the Worcester Worcesters, who competed in the National League. [20]
In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Red Sox were organized into the 20-team Triple-A East. [21] Billy McMillon, who had previously managed the Pawtucket Red Sox, was named Worcester's first manager. [22] The team's first games were originally planned for April; [23] however, the start of the Triple-A season was delayed into May. [24] The team released its debut roster on May 3, [25] and opened the season on May 4 with a loss against the Buffalo Bisons in a game played in Trenton, New Jersey. [26]
The team played select games as "Los Wepas de Worcester" when participating in the Copa de la Diversión, a Minor League Baseball celebration of Hispanic and Latino heritage. [27] In December 2021, team was named winners of the Copa de la Diversión series, and were awarded the "Fun Cup". [28]
In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as the International League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. [29] The 2022 WooSox used the most players by any Red Sox Triple-A team, 75, surpassing the prior record of 70 held by the Pawtucket Red Sox of 1995 and 2006. [30]
In November 2023, principal owner Larry Luchino stated he was actively looking to sell the team, explaining that at age 78 he wanted to "move on to blissful retirement." [31] Later that month, the team was purchased by Diamond Baseball Holdings, who also own the Red Sox's Double-A and Single-A franchises, the Portland Sea Dogs and Salem Red Sox. [2]
"Finish" represents the team's final position in its division at the end of regular-season play.
Year | W | L | Pct. | Finish | League | Division | Manager | Postseason |
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2021 | 74 | 54 | .578 | 3rd of 6 | Triple-A East | Northeast | Billy McMillon | see Note |
2022 | 75 | 73 | .507 | 6th of 10 | International League | East | Chad Tracy [32] | |
2023 | 79 | 68 | .537 | 4th of 10 | International League | East | Chad Tracy [33] |
Note: In 2021, each Triple-A team played a 10-game extension to the season, branded as the "Final Stretch"; [34] Worcester went 66–52 per their original schedule, then 8–2 during the Final Stretch, for a final record of 74–54.
A new ballpark was constructed for the team, opening for the 2021 Triple-A season. [13] The cost (including land acquisition) was $159 million, with over half of the amount paid by the City of Worcester. [35] With a capacity of approximately 10,000 spectators, it was named Polar Park through a sponsorship and naming rights agreement with Polar Beverages, which is headquartered in Worcester. The first Triple-A game was played at the ballpark on May 11, 2021, with Worcester hosting the Syracuse Mets. [36]
Players | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
60-day injured list |
On December 4, 2019, the team announced that uniform number 6 would be permanently retired, in honor of the six Worcester Fire Department firefighters who perished exactly twenty years prior, in the line of duty while fighting the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire. [37]
In March 2020, WORC-FM (an affiliate of Nash Icon) was named as the team's flagship radio station. [38] The broadcasters as of 2022 are Tyler Murray, Jim Cain, Mike Antonellis, and Cooper Boardman. [39] It was later announced that radio coverage would be split between WORC-FM and WWFX. [5] Select games are televised on NESN+. [40]
The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. They played their home games at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and won four league championships, their last in 2014. Following the 2020 season, the franchise moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, to become the Worcester Red Sox.
Lawrence Lucchino is an American lawyer, best known as an executive in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as president of the Baltimore Orioles, president/CEO of the San Diego Padres, and president/CEO of the Boston Red Sox. He is chairman of the Worcester Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox; chairman of The Jimmy Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute; and president/CEO emeritus of Fenway Sports Group, the parent company of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C. Lucchino played college basketball for the Princeton Tigers.
McCoy Stadium is a former baseball stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1970 through 2020, it served as home field of the Pawtucket Red Sox (PawSox), a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Completed in 1942, the stadium first hosted an affiliated minor league team in 1946, the Pawtucket Slaters, a Boston Braves farm team. In 1981, the stadium hosted the longest professional baseball game in history, as the PawSox defeated the Rochester Red Wings in 33 innings by a score of 3–2.
Bernard Georges "Ben" Mondor was a Canadian-born American business executive and baseball executive, best known as the owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox from 1977 until his death.
Ronald David Johnson was an American baseball player, coach and minor league manager. From 2012 through 2018, he managed the Norfolk Tides of the International League, Triple-A farm system affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. His 2018 season with Norfolk was his 14th season as a Triple-A manager; Johnson formerly helmed the Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League (2005–09), and the Omaha Royals (1998) and Omaha Golden Spikes (1999) of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
The Pawsox Radio Network was the radio network of the Pawtucket Red Sox, a Triple-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. There were 12 stations and three F.M. translators in the network, including the flagship and part-time stations. The network last broadcast games for the Pawtucket team in 2019, as the 2020 minor league season was cancelled and the team relocated to Worcester, Massachusetts, becoming the Worcester Red Sox for the 2021 season.
William Edward McMillon is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) during six seasons between 1996 and 2004, for four different teams. As a player, he threw and batted left-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall, and weighed 172 pounds (78 kg). He is an inductee of the International League Hall of Fame.
Iván De Jesús Álvarez Jr. is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball infielder. Born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, he went to high school at American Military Academy of Guaynabo and was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers' in the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. DeJesus Jr. is the son of former major leaguer Iván DeJesús and a former major league batboy.
Bryce Everett Brentz is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox. During the 2014 and 2016 seasons, he appeared in a total of 34 MLB games with Boston. He bats and throws right-handed, and is listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 215 pounds (98 kg).
Daniel John Butler is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox in 2014 and 2018. Butler later served as a bullpen catcher with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Robert John Scott is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Robert Vernon Dalbec is an American professional baseball corner infielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats of the University of Arizona. Listed at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and 227 pounds (103 kg), he bats and throws right-handed.
Robert William Poyner is a former American professional baseball pitcher. He throws and bats left-handed, and is listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 205 pounds (93 kg). He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for two seasons for the Boston Red Sox.
Marcus Walter Walden is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox. He made his MLB debut during 2018 after a decade of minor and independent league baseball. He both throws and bats right-handed, and is listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg).
Triston Casas is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Red Sox selected him in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft and he made his MLB debut in 2022. Casas was a member of the United States national baseball team at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which won the silver medal.
Polar Park is a baseball park in Worcester, Massachusetts, serving as the home of the Worcester Red Sox, a Minor League Baseball team competing at the Triple-A level and an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Opened for the 2021 Triple-A season, it has a seating capacity of 9,508 people. Polar Beverages, a local beverage company based in Worcester, has retained the naming rights to the ballpark.
Jarren William Duran is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 205 pounds (93 kg), he bats left-handed and throws right-handed. He has played for the Mexico national baseball team.
Kyle Patrick Hart is an American professional baseball pitcher for the NC Dinos of the KBO League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg), he both throws and bats left-handed.
Phillips Chalier Valdéz is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox.