Worcester, MA – The Worcester Red Sox began a 6-game series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (AAA-New York Yankees) with a thrilling come-from-behind victory, 7-6 on Tuesday night at Polar Park. The long-time rivals met for the first time this season and came in with identical 18-14 records that were good for a tie for 1st-place in the International East division. The WooSox now sit alone atop the division by 1-game over both Scranton/WB and Syracuse. Game two of the series will come early as the teams will play at 11:05 am on Wednesday morning at Polar Park.
The WooSox struck first in the bottom of the 1st inning on Tuesday off rehabbing New York lefty Carlos Rodon. Nick Sogard led off the frame with a double down the left field line and, one out later, DH Mickey Gasper clubbed a 2-run HR onto the leftfield berm. Gasper, the former New York draft pick and Yankee farmhand from 2018-2023, leads the WooSox with 5 HR & 25 RBI (tied for 6th in the league) in his first 27 games this season.
Rodon, on the Yankees injured list all season after offseason surgery to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur in his left elbow, went 6.1 innings during his rehab start and was not involved in the decision. He was touched for 6 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts on 85 pitches (49 for strikes). The 33-year-old went 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 33 starts for the Yankees last season and in 231 big league games with the White Sox (2015-2021), Giants (2022), and Yankees (2023-25), Rodon is 93-72 with a 3.73 ERA.
The RailRiders took their first lead of the game in the 3rd inning off reliever Noah Song who walked George Lombard Jr., hit Anthony Volpe, and then gave up a 3-run HR to LF Spencer Jones on the 10th pitch of his at-bat. For Jones, the Yankees #6 prospect, it was his 11th homer of the season after belting a combined 35 HR last season between Scranton/WB (19) and Double-A Somerset (16).
Worcester cut the 4-2 deficit in half in the bottom of the 3rd inning on a gift run. Jones dropped Nate Eaton’s routine fly ball in left that would have been the third out of the inning. Eaton ended up on 2nd base, advanced to 3rd on a passed ball, and then raced home on a wild pitch.
Scranton/WB upped their lead to 6-3 in the 6th on a 2-run double by catcher Payton Henry off Angel Bastardo, but Kristian Campbell answered in the bottom half by rocketing a solo HR (#2) 423-feet over the left centerfield wall. Campbell is 11-for-28 (.393) in his last 8 games played with 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 2 SB, 6 RBI and has raised his average to a season-high .291.
Worcester tied the game at 6-6 in the 7th. Allan Castro walked, Vinny Capra singled, and Tsung-Che Cheng beat out a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Jason Delay cut the deficit to one with a sac fly scoring Castro, and after a walk to Sogard (his league-leading 30th of the season), Eaton’s fielder’s choice groundout plated Capra with the tying run. Capra is 2nd in the league with 29 runs scored.
Campbell began the winning rally by leading off the 8th inning with a ringing double off the Worcester Wall in right. One out later, Castro drove Campbell home with the go-ahead run with a ground ball single up the middle. Castro now has had an RBI in 6 straight games (8 RBI total).
Tommy Kahnle earned the save in the 9th with help from his own glove as he snared a comebacker to cut down the potential tying run at the plate for the 2nd out of the inning and then got a strikeout to end it. For Kahnle it was his second save and he lowered his ERA to 2.61. Kyle Keller (1-1) was the winner with 2 hitless innings of relief, he has allowed just 1 ER in his last 9.1 IP. Yovanny Cruz (4-1) relieved Rodon and was saddled with the loss.
SS Anthony Volpe, who was optioned to SWB from NY on Sunday when his 20-day injury rehab assignment ended, had a nice game on Tuesday going 2-for-4 with a double, HBP, and run scored. Volpe is coming back from left shoulder surgery to repair a partially torn labrum last October 14. In 472 career games with New York he has hit .222 with 52 HR & 192 RBI.
Worcester and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will rise and play tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11:05 am in the first of three weekday morning games at Polar Park over the next month. The WooSox will use rehabbing Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten as their starter while the RailRiders will turn to RHP Carlos Lagrange (0-2, 3.75) the #2 prospect in the Yankee organization. The game is live on NESN and can be heard on NASH 98.9 FM and the rest of the WooSox Radio Network.