Polar Park - Worcester Red Sox

Buffalo Bisons (TOR) @ Worcester Red Sox (BOS)

August 1, 2024

Game 1:  Red Sox 9, Bisons 8

W: Justin Hagenman
L: Mason Fluharty

HR: Will Robertson (BUF)

Time of Game: 2 hours, 53 minutes

Game 2:  Bisons 8, Red Sox 5

W: Adrian Hernandez
L: Zach Penrod

S: Jimmy Burnette

HR: Will Robertson (BUF), Vaughn Grissom (WOR), Nathan Hickey (WOR), Chase Meidroth (WOR)

Attendance: 7,725
Time of Game: 2 hours, 4 minutes

Stadium Facts

Location: Worcester, MA
Opened: 2021
Capacity: 9,508
Level: Triple A
League: International

On Wednesday, I started my journey back home from Maine, but I still had a couple more stops to make on the way.  It was a pretty crazy weather day in Massachusetts as one minute it would be pouring rain and the next the sun would be out.  This pattern continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening.  As game time approached in Worcester, it was apparent they were going to wait for another line of showers to pass before getting the game started as the mound and plate areas were covered despite no rain at the time.  Indeed, another strong line of storms swept through which kept the game delayed for the better part of two hours.  Eventually, the game was postponed and rescheduled as a double header on Thursday afternoon.  I thought the postponement was perhaps a tad unnecessary because it did not rain much more after that.  But I'm sure the bar for postponement is much lower in the minors.  And I was okay with getting to see two games for the price of one the following day.  I was pretty fortunate that it took this long for my first postponement of the year.  And it came at an ideal time because I was able to simply push the rest of my schedule back a day since I was slated to return home on a Friday and had a weekend to spare.  So I got to spend an extra day in Massachusetts' second largest city.

For 50 years, the Red Sox AAA team was located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island before they relocated to Worcester in the brand new Polar Park for the 2021 season.  Polar Park is the newest ballpark I've been to this year and I'm pretty sure no other MLB affiliated teams anywhere have opened stadiums in the three years since, although that will change next year.  While I'm sure the PawSox were beloved too, Worcester is an ideal location for this franchise as it is just ~45 miles from Boston.  Fans from Boston could take the train to Union Station in Worcester and make the short walk to the park from there if they'd like.  Polar Park is located just south of downtown in an area that I have come to learn has been going through major revitalization in the years since this park opened.  Train tracks run just beyond the stadium perimeter in left field and I saw several freight and commuter trains pass by over the course of my two days at the park.  There are a ton of unique features to this park.  Unlike most minor league stadiums I've been to, there are actually several different entry points, including two along Summit Street which runs beyond the stadium in right field.  On game days, they shut down the street and essentially make it within the perimeter of the stadium, adding additional dining and entertainment options for ticket holders.  I'm not totally sure it is necessary because there are plenty of options within the walls of the park as well.  A concourse circles the entire stadium.  The concourse above the main seating areas in foul territory is impressively large for a minor league park, and came in handy when waiting out the rain on Wednesday.  There are multiple full service bars, food trucks, and traditional concession stands as well.  There is a party deck down the third base line and berm seating in left field which was filled with youth groups for the Thursday afternoon game.  And then there is the Worcester Wall in right field, another nod to Fenway's Green Monster.  Except this one is in right field, is blue and not quite as tall.  Like in Boston, there is seating available above the wall.  Unlike Fenway, anyone can at least make their way around those sections to see what the view is like.  Finally, there is plenty of luxury seating in the second level.  This park really has everything you could want in a baseball facility.  If I had to make one tiny complaint, it is also probably the most expensive minor league ballpark I've been to this year for both tickets and concessions.  I would say it is worth it though.

In the minor leagues, doubleheaders are played as a pair of seven inning games, which was fine by me on this day because it was a quite steamy afternoon and the first game managed to last nearly three hours anyway.  This was a rematch of the Blue Jays and Red Sox AAA affiliates who I saw play each other in Buffalo in June.  Game 1 was the Enmanuel Valdez show.  Mostly for good reasons, but some bad too.  The second baseman who has spent time with the big league club in Boston each of the past two years managed to record five hits in a seven inning game.  He also committed two errors.  Sloppy defense was a major factor in this game for both teams.  Buffalo got on the board in the first on a RBI double by Will Wagner, son of all-time great closer Billy Wagner.  Wagner's double came in his first plate appearance with Buffalo after being traded by the Astros to the Blue Jays in the Yusei Kikuchi trade a few days prior.  Wagner didn't spend much time with Buffalo though as he has since made his MLB debut.  In the bottom of the first, Worcester had the bases loaded with two outs when Eddy Alvarez beat out a force attempt on a routine grounder to short allowing a run to score.  Not getting an out on that play proved quite costly for the Bisons as two more singles and an error plated another four runs to give the Red Sox a 5-1 lead after one.  Buffalo then had their big inning assisted by poor defense in the top of the third.  They tied the game, scoring four runs on five singles and a pair of errors.  Worcester immediately answered with a pair of runs to take a 7-5 lead, which they then gave back in an ugly top of the fourth.  Jonatan Clase, another guy new to Buffalo, acquired in a trade with Seattle, reached on Valdez's second throwing error in as many innings.  He then stole second and advanced to third and home on a pair of wild pitches.  There were also two walks and a hit batter in the inning which ultimately led to two Bisons runs without the benefit of a hit.  So through 3 1/2 innings, the game was tied at seven.  Not the crispest 3 1/2 innings I've ever seen.  Things settled a little bit after that.  After the WooSox scored one in the bottom of the fifth, Will Robertson came up with two outs and nobody on in the top of the sixth and lined a ball to center that center fielder Mark Contreras made a poor decision to lunge after and missed.  The ball rolled all the way to the wall and Robertson rounded the bases for an inside the park home run, which was also aided by a couple less than stellar relay throws.  I later learned that this was the first inside the park homer in Polar Park history.  The game remained tied into the bottom of the seventh, the last inning of regulation.  Worcester loaded the bases with one out on a couple singles, including Valdez's fifth of the game, and a walk.  Up came Jamie Westbrook, who had just been demoted from Boston the day before.  He lined a walk-off single to center to push the WooSox to a 9-8 victory.  It was my second straight game seeing walk-off hits, repeating something that happened on my trip in June, albeit on singles this time instead of homers.  Both of these walk-off winners were by Red Sox affiliates.  Additionally, both of the games between Worcester and Buffalo I had seen to this point ended in walk-offs.

After that 17 run, 23 hit, 4 error game, I didn't *really* need to see another game.  And most of the large crowd from the first game must have felt the same way because not many stuck around for the second.  But I didn't have anything better to do on a Thursday afternoon in Worcester.  Also, Game 2 allowed me to see a couple of interesting players who were held out of the WooSox lineup in Game 1 including rehabbing slugger Triston Casas and former top prospect Vaughn Grissom, who was the only player the Red Sox received in the Chris Sale trade last winter, a trade they would probably like to have back right about now.  Grissom did get this game off to a bang though as he and his teammates teed off on Buffalo's veteran right hander James Kaprielian.  In the bottom of the first after Cases reached on a hit by pitch, Grissom homered to left.  Three batters later, WooSox catcher Nathan Hickey absolutely demolished a ball over the Worcester Wall and the concession stand on the concourse behind it for another two run homer.  In the second, Chase Meidroth lined one over the left field wall for the third Red Sox homer of the game, giving them a seemingly safe 5-0 lead.  It was not actually safe.  Worcester starting pitcher Zach Penrod had an interesting afternoon.  At times, he was pretty dominant racking up seven strikeouts in three innings.  But most of the balls that were actually put into play did not find gloves, particularly in the rough third inning.  Buffalo had already scored two runs and reloaded the bases on three hits and two walks before Robertson, one of the few players to start both games, came to the plate.  Robertson won this lefty-on-lefty matchup slugging a grand slam to right center, giving the Bisons a 6-5 lead.  Quite a day for Robertson with homers in both games, an inside the parker and a grand slam.  The fourth was another rough inning for Worcester pitchers, with Jorge Benitez in for Penrod.  Alan Roden led off with a double for the second straight inning.  Two walks later, the Bisons had the bases loaded again.  Benitez hit Damiano Palmegiani to bring in a run.  Then he walked Gabriel Cancel to score another one.  The Bisons led 8-5 through 3 1/2.  The Red Sox released Benitez after this ugly appearance.  Turns out, the Worcester bats went cold after this as they did not record another hit after the third.  8-5 was the final, a double header split and Buffalo won the rubber match of the three games I saw these teams play this year.

That brought an end to my extra day in Worcester.  It was worth sticking around as I got to watch two games in one of the nicest minor league ballparks I've seen.  That was my final AAA stop of the year.  The next day, I headed west to Hudson Valley, New York.

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Next ballpark:  Heritage Financial Park in Wappingers Falls, NY

Hadlock Field - Portland Sea Dogs

Erie SeaWolves (DET) @ Portland Sea Dogs (BOS)

July 30, 2024

Sea Dogs 6, SeaWolves 5 (10 inn)

W: Theo Denlinger
L: Calvin Coker

HR: Brady Allen (ERI), Tyler McDonough (POR)

Attendance: 7,080
Time of Game: 2 hours, 51 minutes

Stadium Facts

Location: Portland, ME
Opened: 1994
Capacity: 7,368
Level: Double A
League: Eastern

On the Monday off day, I drove from New Hampshire to Maine, making this my first time in Maine since I was a youngster.  I'm pretty sure going to the Portland area made this the furthest east I have ever been in the United States.  It was a somewhat damp Monday, which was the start of a trend on the second week of this trip, so I saved the exploration of the Portland area until Tuesday.  Tuesday night, it was back to the ballpark for my final Eastern League game of the year at Hadlock Field, home of the Red Sox AA affiliate.

Hadlock Field is not exactly located in the heart of Portland, but it is right off I-295 in a high traffic area.  In fact, approaching the stadium and getting parked was more challenging than I had anticipated, although I will chalk that up to my own unfamiliarity with the area.  Having opened in 1994, Hadlock Field is on the older side of stadiums I have visited this year, and as such, it is not surprising that it lacks some of the frills of newer parks.  The concourse is completely hidden under the stands.  The single level main seating area is heavily tilted towards the third base side as it stretches from about first base and then around well down the left field line, extended by a separate bleacher section.  There is a walkway all the way around that main bowl separating the 100 and 200 level sections.  And then there are general admission bleachers at the top of the grandstand.  Part of the reason why a majority of the seats are on the third base side is because the first base side runs up against the old brick Portland Expo building where the Celtics G-League team plays.  The most distinctive element of the park is the large left field wall that is a near replica of Fenway's Green Monster.  It even has similar Citgo and Coca-Cola signage beyond the wall.  Of course, this one is affectionately named the Maine Monster.  Right field does not resemble Fenway at all though.  The right field wall is fairly tall in its own right and has a section of seats above it that overlooks the Sea Dogs bullpen, which is quite elevated from field level.  It seems Portland has a very passionate fan base.  This was a near sellout on a Tuesday night.  The crowd was as engaged with the action on the field as any I have been a part of at minor league games this year.  They love their Sea Dogs and I'm sure the fact that these are future Red Sox players feeds into that.

I don't really think of dogs or wolves as sea animals.  Yet this was a battle of the Tigers' affiliate SeaWolves from Erie and the Sea Dogs of Portland.  This game happened to take place about an hour after the MLB trade deadline.  One of the Sea Dogs top prospects, outfielder Roman Anthony was not in the lineup, leading to speculation that he had been traded.  But it turns out it was just a regular off day for him.  Meanwhile, having missed the game I saw Portland play a few days earlier in Somerset, top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer was in the lineup playing short.  However, he was replaced after a couple innings having struck out in his only plate appearance.  I assume whatever injury that had kept him out of the lineup for a few games prior resurfaced on this night.  He returned to full action soon after this game though.  That left Kyle Teel as the only one of the Portland trio of elite prospects to play in both of the Portland games on this trip.  He was the DH in this game and did not record a hit, but did have a RBI sac fly.  As I mentioned in the Somerset post, Anthony, Mayer and Teel were all promoted to AAA together shortly after this game, really draining the talent level of the Portland roster.  This wound up being a tight game throughout, with both teams scoring runs here and there but also leaving a boatload of runners on base.  Portland scored first in the bottom of the third on a leadoff home run by second baseman Tyler McDonough, a lined shot over the right field wall.  Erie immediately answered in the fourth with a two run homer off the scoreboard in left-center by Brady Allen.  Both teams added another run in their next at bats and Erie held a 3-2 lead at the seventh inning stretch.  McDonough led off the bottom of the seventh with his second extra base hit of the game, this one a double.  He scored on a single by Corey Rosier, who would then score as well on Teel's sacrifice fly.  The Sea Dogs took a 4-3 lead into the eight, which is when things started to get whacky.  Trei Cruz led off the top of the eighth with a pop up to shallow right that the second baseman let pop out of his glove and was somehow ruled a double.  The right fielder should have called him off, but it was a play that should have easily been made by either fielder.  Cruz then scored the game tying run on a much more legitimate double off the wall by #9 hitter Austin Murr.  The bottom of the inning started with an eerily similar pop up to right that wasn't caught, this one understandably ruled a double since nobody got a glove on it.  Another play that should have been made though.  Portland would not take advantage though and the game remained tied through the regulation nine innings.  Erie scored the automatic base runner from second in the top of the tenth.  That single run was not enough though.  Portland strung together three singles capped by a walk off base hit up the middle by Elih Marrero giving the Sea Dogs a 6-5 extra inning victory.  It was the second time I saw Erie lose a game in walk-off fashion this summer.

This was my ninth and final Eastern League game of the year.  Amazingly, three of those games ended on walk-off hits, two went extra innings, and the winning run scored in the ninth inning or later in five of the nine games.  I'm sure all of this was just lucky timing, but consider me a fan of Eastern League baseball.  After Portland, it was back up to AAA for one last International League game in Worcester, MA.  Well, actually it became two games in Worcester.  More on that soon.

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Next ballpark:  Polar Park in Worcester, MA

Delta Dental Stadium - New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Reading Fightin Phils (PHI) @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR)

July 28, 2024

Fisher Cats 6, Fightin Phils 1

W: CJ Van Eyk
L: Eiberson Castellano

HR: Cade Doughty (NH)

Attendance: 3,722
Time of Game: 2 hours, 39 minutes

Stadium Facts

Location: Manchester, NH
Opened: 2005
Capacity: 6,500
Level: Double A
League: Eastern

One cool thing about driving in New England is that you can cover several states in a short period of time.  On this last Sunday of July, I took what was just a little over a two hour drive from Hartford, Connecticut through Massachusetts up to Manchester, New Hampshire.  Manchester is the largest city in New Hampshire and is not too far from Boston.  So this is heavy Red Sox territory.  But they are only allowed to have one Eastern League affiliate and that happens to be in another Red Sox hotbed of Portland, Maine.  So the New Hampshire Fisher Cats are an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays instead.  Closing the loop on something I pondered in the Buffalo post, no, not all of the Blue Jays American based affiliates play the Canadian national anthem before games.  Apparently that's just a Buffalo thing.

Delta Dental Stadium is situated on the banks of the Merrimac River just a little bit south of downtown Manchester.  It is more reminiscent of other Eastern League ballparks I have visited this year than Hartford was the night before.  It is a very nice AA stadium though.  The entrance to the stadium is down the third base line rather than behind home plate, similar to other Eastern League parks in Erie and Harrisburg.  The open concourse above the main seating level provides views of the field throughout and a view of the river from points down the third base line.  There is no regular outfield seating.  But what there is in left field is a full service restaurant and sports bar with TVs, not something I've seen in a lot of minor league parks.  There is table seating associated with that brewhouse above the left field wall.  Outside of the actual stadium perimeter in left-center field is a hotel with its own patio and bar where people can watch the game from as well.  I actually stayed at that hotel that night and hung out at the bar later that evening.  Being able to catch a game is a nice perk for hotel guests, but I was obviously there to see the stadium in its entirety.  This was a somewhat toasty July afternoon, which may have contributed with it being a smaller crowd than what I experienced at most of the other stops on this trip.  Perhaps the biggest cheers of the day went to the dog who retrieved the Fisher Cats bats after their plate appearances in the bottom of the first.  Apparently the dog was only on batboy duty for that one half inning though.

It has been a bit of a disappointing season for Fisher Cats right handed pitcher CJ Van Eyk, 2020 second round pick of the Blue Jays.  But he had a solid week against Reading.  As is often the case for the Sunday games in the minor leagues at the end of a six game series, Van Eyk was making his second start of the series following a Tuesday start in which he took the loss but had a quality start.  He would make it two for two in quality starts in this one.  Cats third baseman Cade Doughty also had a big day.  He got it started with a RBI double to left in the second, one of a pair of New Hampshire runs that inning.  The biggest, and scariest, moment of the game came in Doughty's third plate appearance in the bottom of the sixth.  After Phils reliever Carlos Francisco retired the first two batters of the inning, a single and a double put a pair of runners in scoring position for Doughty.  Doughty hit one to deep left and Reading left fielder Ethan Wilson appeared to make a great running catch, but immediately crashed into the wall and lost the ball.  Wilson fell to the ground and Doughty circled the bases for an inside-the-park three run homer.  Wilson remained on the ground for a minute or two, but eventually left the field under his own power.  Fortunately, Wilson returned to action a few days later, so he was evidently able to avoid serious injury.  Doughty was officially credited with his first AA home run and his second, third and fourth runs batted in on the day.  Reading finally got on the board in the top of the seventh, scratching across a run on Van Eyk's tab after he had been relieved.  Van Eyk's final line:  6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.  Reading actually had a chance to get themselves back into the game, but left the bases loaded.  The Fisher Cats got that run back in the bottom half on a bases loaded walk.  New Hampshire won this one by a final score of 6-1.

That wrapped up the first half of my New England trip.  After this fourth game in four days, I had a chance to relax a bit with the only scheduled day of no baseball coming up on Monday and the next game not being until Tuesday night in Portland.

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Next ballpark:  Hadlock Field in Portland, ME