Worcester Red Sox Get First No Hitter Since 2003 With Thursday 12-0 Win Against Durham

By Tiffany Williams –

The Worcester Red Sox got things started at about 6:45 PM, Thursday night at Polar Park in Downtown Worcester with Abraham Almonte at the bottom of the first, blowing this game wide open with a dinger 419 feet to left field to make it a 0-1 Worcester lead. 

Bottom of the third, it was Almonte again with his second dinger of the game 344 feet to left field to drive in Franchy Cordero and that put Worcester on top 0-3. Christin Stewart backed that up with a dinger  to drive in  Triston Casas and put Worcester on top 0-5. Stewart now owns the home run lead for Worcester with eighteen homer’s for the season. Pedro Castellanos hit his third dinger for the season to drive in Jeter Downs and put Worcester on top 0-7. Worcester Closed the third inning with six runs (three homers). 

Bottom of the fourth, a single by Ronaldo Hernandez helped to drive in Abraham Almonte to put Worcester on top 0-8 and then before the end of the frame, Devlin Granberg hit a single to help drive in Enmanuel Valdez and Ronaldo Hernandez to make it a 0-10 Worcester lead. 

Bottom of the sixth Jeter Downs made it over the plate off a wild pitch to put Worcester on top 0-11 and before the end of the frame, Franchy Cordero hit a single to drive in Pedro Castellanos and make this a 0-12 Worcester game. 

Michael Wacha, on a rehab assignment in Worcester atarted at the mound. He went 4.2 innings, allowed no runs, no hits and struck out 8 before being relieved by Andrew Politi who went 2.1 innings. He allowed no hits, no runs and struck out 2. Chase Shugart closed this game for Worcester allowing no runs and no hits. 

This wasn’t just a shutout but it was the first no-hitter for Worcester since they were the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2003. Bronson Arroyo threw 101 pitches in nine innings and struck out nine.

Pregame, Worcester Manager Chad Tracy was pretty excited about Thursday night’s lineup. Post game he said it was pretty impressive, calle it an awesome night. “It was obviously as complete a game as we can play. We pitched really well, we didn’t give up a hit, we swung the bats really well,” said Tracy. 

After the game Franchy Cordero, who just came back to Worcester from Boston, called Thursday night’s win “something special.”

After the game Enmanuel Valdez told me he had never been a part of a no hitter before. He actually told me he didn’t even know it was a no hitter and that truthfully he didn’t realize it was a no hitter until the last out and looked up at the board and that’s when he realized it was a no hitter. Valdez said, “That it was really awesome to be a part of.”