Worcester Red Sox

Worcester Red Sox
Founded in 2021 Worcester, Massachusetts
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class	Triple-A
League	International League (2021–present)
Division	East Division
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, Clara the Heart of the Commonwealth[1]
Ballpark	Polar Park (2021–present)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	Diamond Baseball Holdings[2]
President	Charles Steinberg[4]
Manager	Chad Tracy[3]
Media	Radio: WORC-FM (Wed–Sat games) and WWFX (Sun & Tue games)[5] Streaming: MiLB.TV TV: NESN+ (select games)
Website	milb.com/worcester

The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts.^[a] 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.

History

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]

Further information: Pawtucket Red Sox § Sale and Rhode Island stadium plans (2015–2018)

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] The red heart mascot, Clara the Heart of the Commonwealth, was unveiled on May 21, 2024.^[20]

Like Providence, Worcester fielded a short-lived major league ballclub in the early 1880s, the Worcester Worcesters, who competed in the National League.^[21]

Debut season

Polar Park

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.^[22] Billy McMillon, who had previously managed the Pawtucket Red Sox, was named Worcester's first manager.^[23] The team's first games were originally planned for April;^[24] however, the start of the Triple-A season was delayed into May.^[25] The team released its debut roster on May 3,^[26] and opened the season on May 4 with a loss against the Buffalo Bisons in a game played in Trenton, New Jersey.^[27]

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.^[28] In December 2021, team was named winners of the Copa de la Diversión series, and were awarded the "Fun Cup".^[29]

Later seasons

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.^[30] 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.^[31]

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."^[32] 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]

Yearly results

"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
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[33]
2023	79	68	.537	4th of 10	International League	East	Chad Tracy[34]
2024	79	71	.527	2nd of 10	International League	East	Chad Tracy[35]

Note: In 2021, each Triple-A team played a 10-game extension to the season, branded as the "Final Stretch";^[36] Worcester went 66–52 per their original schedule, then 8–2 during the Final Stretch, for a final record of 74–54.

Stadium

Main article: Polar Park (baseball park)

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.^[37] 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.^[38]

Roster

Worcester Red Sox roster

• v
• t
• e

Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 55 Jose Adames 41 Jason Alexander 48 Brendan Cellucci 21 Hunter Dobbins -- Shane Drohan 23 Luis García #* 35 Justin Hagenman 31 Liam Hendriks #* 38 Brad Keller 24 Zack Kelly * 62 Robert Kwiatkowski 23 Bryan Mata #* 53 Wyatt Olds 37 Quinn Priester * 65 Yohan Ramírez 18 Chase Shugart 36 Lucas Sims #* 67 Alex Speas ~ 64 Naoyuki Uwasawa 52 Brian Van Belle 47 Jacob Webb		Catchers 86 Mickey Gasper * 17 Mark Kolozsvary ~ 25 Reese McGuire  7 Kyle Teel Infielders 29 Alex Binelas 36 Kristian Campbell 33 Bobby Dalbec *  5 Max Ferguson 12 Vaughn Grissom #* 10 Marcelo Mayer 15 Tyler McDonough 20 Chase Meidroth 32 Tyler Miller ~ 13 Jamie Westbrook Outfielders 19 Roman Anthony 16 Mark Contreras 18 Dalton Guthrie  2 Corey Rosier 64 Phillip Sikes		Manager 28 Chad Tracy Coaches 60 Doug Clark (hitting) 61 Brendon Connolly (development) 22 Dan DeLucia (pitching)  3 José Flores (bench) 10 Rich Gedman (hitting) 30 Noah Junis (bullpen) 60-day injured list 32 Michael Fulmer (full season) -- Grant Gambrell -- Wyatt Mills 7-day injured list * On Boston Red Sox 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated September 17, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB • International League → Boston Red Sox minor league players

Retired numbers

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.^[39]

Broadcasting

In March 2020, WORC-FM (an affiliate of Nash Icon) was named as the team's flagship radio station.^[40] The broadcasters as of 2022 are Tyler Murray, Jim Cain, Mike Antonellis, and Cooper Boardman.^[41] It was later announced that radio coverage would be split between WORC-FM and WWFX.^[5] Select games are televised on NESN+.^[42]

Notes

1. Worcester is 45 miles (72 km) from Fenway Park in Boston.^[6]

References

1. "Smiley Ball & Woofster". MiLB.com. Worcester Red Sox. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
2. Silverman, Michael (November 30, 2023). "Worcester Red Sox Sold: Agreement reached to sell team to Diamond Baseball Holdings". Global News. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
3. Speier, Alex (December 13, 2021). "Worcester Red Sox announce hiring of Chad Tracy as next manager". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
4. "Front Office". MiLB.com. Worcester Red Sox. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
5. McNamara, Neal (May 4, 2021). "How To Watch, Listen To Worcester Red Sox Games: 2021 Season". Patch. Retrieved May 13, 2021 – via MSN.com.
6. "MLB affiliate overview: American League East". MiLB.com. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
7. "Then and Now: International League". MiLB.com. March 17, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
8. "Group of New England Business Leaders Purchases Pawtucket Red Sox". MiLB.com (Press release). February 23, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
9. Bramson, Kate (April 15, 2019). "PawSox owners want state lease, 30 years of property tax abatements for Providence stadium". The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
10. Bramson, Kate (September 20, 2015). "PawSox riverfront site is off; no word about alternative Providence site". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
11. Bramson, Kate (May 16, 2017). "PawSox, city reveal stadium financing framework". Providence Journal. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
12. Anderson, Patrick (August 17, 2018). "PawSox Plan to Move to Worcester; Team Says R.I. House is to Blame". The Providence Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
13. Chesto, Jon (August 17, 2018). "It's Official: PawSox to Move to Worcester". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
14. McLoone, Dan (November 6, 2018). "Red Sox are taking suggestions for renaming the PawSox". The Boston Globe.
15. "Worcester Red Sox to unveil new name and logo". Boston.com. AP. November 24, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
16. Mastrodonato, Jason (November 25, 2019). "Worcester Red Sox announce new logo and 'WooSox' nickname". Boston Herald. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
17. "Photos: WooSox unveil new mascot Smiley Ball". Telegram & Gazette. October 2, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
18. "On National Dog Day, WooSox introduce Woofster as new companion mascot for Smiley Ball". MassLive. August 26, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
19. "Welcome, Roberto!". Twitter. May 19, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
20. "Meet Clara". Telegram & Gazette. May 22, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
21. "Worcester NL Team (1880-1882)". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
22. Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
23. "Red Sox announce personnel moves in player development and Minor League field staffs". MLB.com (Press release). Boston Red Sox. January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
24. "2021 Worcester Red Sox schedule is here!". MiLB.com. February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
25. Harrigan, Thomas (March 2, 2021). "Triple-A Start Delayed; Alternate Sites to Return". Major League Baseball. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
26. "Here are the players assigned to the Worcester Red Sox for the start of the season". The Boston Globe. May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021 – via Boston.com.
27. Reed, Russ (May 5, 2021). "Worcester Red Sox play first game in team history; fall to Buffalo in Trenton". WCVB-TV. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
28. Vautour, Matt (April 19, 2021). "Worcester Red Sox to become 'Los Wepas de Worcester' for seven games as part of MiLB's 'Copa de la Diversión'". MassLive.com. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
29. Heneghan, Kelsie (December 7, 2021). "Wepa! WooSox win Copa de la Diversión". MiLB.com. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
30. "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
31. "Sunday Baseball Notes". The Boston Globe. October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
32. Silverman, Michael (November 10, 2023). "Larry Lucchino says 'it's time to sell' the Worcester Red Sox". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
33. McDonald, Joe (December 13, 2021). "New skipper at Polar Park: Chad Tracy named manager of Worcester Red Sox". Telegram & Gazette. Worcester, Massachusetts. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
34. "Red Sox Announce Personnel Moves in Player Development, Set Minor League Field Staffs". MLB.com (Press release). Boston Red Sox. January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
35. "2024 Worcester Red Sox Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
36. Dykstra, Sam (July 15, 2021). "Triple-A teams to play in postseason tourney". MLB.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
37. Silverman, Michael (April 22, 2021). "Brand-new Polar Park is ready to go, but will it be a good deal for Worcester?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
38. McInerney, Katie (May 11, 2021). "Photos: Polar Park, Worcester's sparkling new $159-million ballpark, is officially open". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
39. Bonner, Michael (2019-11-13). "'We can't forget': Worcester Red Sox retire No. 6, will reserve seats to honor memory of city's fallen firefighters". masslive. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
40. Sargent, Patrick (March 9, 2020). "Nash Icon 98.9 to Carry all Worcester Red Sox Games in 2021". This Week in Worcester. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
41. "Brewers add Josh Maurer to radio team". MLB.com.
42. "NESN+ Schedule". NESN. May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.

Further reading

• Bonner, Michael (November 12, 2019). "'We can't forget': Worcester Red Sox retire No. 6, will reserve seats to honor memory of city's fallen firefighters". masslive.com. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
• Dykstra, Sam (May 11, 2021). "Woo fans bid Sox hello". MiLB.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
• "Why WooSox?". MiLB.com. Worcester Red Sox. 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
• "'Polar Park-ing Plan' provides more than 7,300 spaces; fans likely to use 2,500 at full capacity". MiLB.com. Worcester Red Sox. May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.

External links

• Official website

Preceded by Pawtucket Red Sox

Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate 2021–present

Succeeded by current