Worcester, MA – The Durham Bulls got a 2-out RBI single from Homer Bush Jr. in the top of the 10th inning to edge the Worcester Red Sox, 4-3 on Saturday in front of another sellout crowd of 9,508 at Polar Park.
The loss dropped the WooSox to 9-7 in extra innings and 21-19 in 1-run games this season.
The go-ahead hit came off Sam McWilliams in relief of Tanner Houck (0-1) who was the tough-luck loser despite a strong 3.1 inning relief stint.
The WooSox (40-32 in the 2nd half and 76-67 overall) will battle the Bulls and the weather on Sunday when they are scheduled to play their final game of the 2026 season on Sunday at 1:05 pm at Polar Park
Even before the defeat, Worcester was officially eliminated from any playoff chance thanks to Rochester’s win at Buffalo earlier in the afternoon. Three clubs remain in contention for 1st-place in the 2nd half and they will need the final day of the regular season on Sunday to determine a winner.
Rochester controls their own destiny and with another victory in Buffalo on Sunday would clinch 1st place and earn a trip to Memphis next week to take on the 1st half champ Redbirds in a best 2 out of 3 series for the right to be International League Champions. Indianapolis and Syracuse still have a chance to catch Rochester, but they need to win out both on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon and have the Red Wings lose in Buffalo on Sunday.
All that said, Worcester (with their 76-67 record) will finish with a winning record for the 6th time in 6 years of existence – and the WooSox are the only team in the entire league to have done that.
Furthermore, off the field, WooSox fans on Saturday crossed the 500,000 ticket sold threshold for the 5th straight year. WooSox fans are the only among all 120 Minor League clubs to accomplish that feat. The Worcester Red Sox thank and appreciate each and every one of their loyal fans – the best in all of Minor League Baseball.
Franklin Arias, the #2 prospect in all of Minor League Baseball according to several sources, has certainly lived up to that billing all season and on Saturday, in the next to last game of the year, he shined once again with 2 hits and all 3 WooSox RBI. Arias, still only 20-years-old, smashed a 2-run HR over the berm in leftfield in the 3rd inning to score Braiden Ward (double) ahead of him and give Worcester a 2-1 lead. The homer was 107 MPH off the bat and went 388 feet. It was Franklin’s 6th homer with Worcester and #25 total on the season combined with his 19 HR with Portland.
Arias, a native of Caracas, VZ, who was signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent in January of 2023, added an RBI single in the 5th inning to scored Nathan Hickey (double) and enable the Sox to retake the lead, 3-2.
Gage Ziehl made his 8th start for Worcester since his August 4th promotion from Double-A Portland and was impressive again. After giving up a run in the 1st inning following a lead-off double by Durham 1B Tre Morgan to begin the game, the 23-year-old Ziehl allowed just an unearned run in the 4th inning in an otherwise fine 6-inning outing. His final line – 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO.
Houck followed Ziehl for his second injury rehab relief appearance of the week and once again looked sharp. The 30-year-old veteran Red Sox righty made just one mistake surrendering a solo homer to Bulls catcher Tatem Levins in the 7th inning that tied the game at 3-3. Houck, continuing his recovery from Tommy John surgery in August of 2025, threw 41 pitches (28 for strikes) and he departed after getting the first out of the top of the 10th inning - 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO.
A highlight of the game came in the bottom of the 8th inning when Juan Montero, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning and flew out to the warning track in centerfield, grounded a ball up the middle for the first hit of his Triple-A career. Montero has been on the WooSox Development List for much of the season while acting as an extra catcher for the WooSox.
A lowlight of the game came in the bottom of the 9th inning when the WooSox loaded the bases with no outs in a 3-3 game but three consecutive batters struckout swinging to leave the bases full and send the game to extra innings.
Worcester’s starter for Sunday’s finale is TBD and the game is live on NESN+ and on NASH 98.9 FM.
The WooSox are pleased to finish their “Fan Appreciation Week/Weekend” with the following special occasions before, during, and after Sunday’s game…
• Fans will receive free posters of the 2026 Team Photo and can meet, receive autographs from, and take photos with the team, who will be stationed at tables along the warning track, or at tables on the concourse depending on the weather, from 11–11:45 a.m.
• Worcester Railers Day, featuring a “passing of the puck” during a pre-game “Ceremonial First Puck,” celebrates our partners in sport and allows fans to meet Railers coaches and players in the Sherwood’s Diner during the game.
• After the game, WooSox players come back out onto the field and present “The Shirts Off Their Backs” to lucky fans who randomly receive a golden ticket during the game. WooSox players will also autograph soft baseballs to be thrown into the stands.
• Kids (of all ages) can Run the Bases after the game, and families can enjoy an Endless Summer Sunset Catch on the Field (again both weather permitting).