WooSox Lose on Thursday at Polar Park
IL Worcester Red Sox

WooSox Lose on Thursday at Polar Park

Published on May 21, 2026 under International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


Worcester Red Sox center fielder Nate Eaton
Worcester Red Sox center fielder Nate Eaton
(Worcester Red Sox)

Worcester, MA - The Worcester Red Sox (23-23) fell to the .500 mark for the first time since March 31 (at 2-2) as they dropped their third straight to the red hot Rochester Red Wings, 9-4 on Thursday afternoon before a school day crowd of 5,000 fans at Polar Park. The WooSox, losers of 8 of their last 10 games, could not hold a 4-0, 1st -inning lead as the Red Wings (28-20), winners of 14 of their last 17 games, scored 9 unanswered runs to win for the third time in as many tries during this 6-game series.

WooSox hitters had their morning caffeine and the bats were wide awake for the 11:05 am start time racing to a 4-0 lead after one inning. LF Braiden Ward did what he has done more than anyone in the league when he led off the 1st by getting hit by a pitch (he leads the IL with 13 HBP in his 31 games). CF Nate Eaton & RF Kristian Campbell both walked to load the bases and 3B Anthony Seigler followed by ripping a bases-clearing, 3-run double to the right field corner. Allan Castro was next and his RBI single drove in Seigler and capped the 4-run, 1st -inning uprising.

After making 12 relief appearances to begin the season, WooSox righthander Jacob Webb made his first start of the year. Webb, who became the 17th different starting pitcher used by the WooSox in their first 46 games of the season, cruised through the first two innings but ran into trouble in the 3rd when the Red Wings scored 3 times to cut their deficit to 4-3. Seaver King had a sac fly to score Tres Barrera (double), Abimelec Ortiz followed with a sac fly of his own to plate Phillip Glaser (single), and Andrew Pinckney added an RBI single off reliever Devin Sweet later in the frame.

Webb was lifted after his 2.2-inning stint giving up 2 hits and 2 walks for 3 runs. Sweet (1-2) was saddled with the loss getting charged for 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits in his 1.1 innings. RBI singles by Christian Franklin and King scored Barrera and Glasser, each with their second runs of the game, to give Rochester a 5-4 lead they would not relinquish.

Alec Gamboa followed Sweet and was perfect for 2 innings with a strikeout to keep the deficit at one run. The Red Wings added 2 insurance runs in the 7th of Angel Bastardo and 2 more in the 9th off Kyle Keller.

Rochester starter Riley Cornelio, who came into the game with a 5-1 record and 3.11 ERA, could not make it out of the 1st inning as he was charged with the 4 WooSox runs in 2/3 of an inning. The win went to reliever Seth Shuman (4-0) who came on to get the last out of the 1st and then worked 2 scoreless innings. A total of 12 pitchers were used in the game (six for each side).

Tsung-Che Cheng and Allan Castro both went 2-for-4 for the WooSox who were held to 6 hits in the game.

Jack Anderson will look to get the WooSox on the board in this series when he starts game four on Friday night at 6:05 pm. It will be Star Wars Night at Polar Park and the game will be followed by UniBank Fireworks set to the music from Star Wars. The game will be live on NESN+ and on NASH 98.9 FM.

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Worcester Red Sox center fielder Nate Eaton
Worcester Red Sox center fielder Nate Eaton
   



International League Stories from May 21, 2026


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