By Tiffany Williams –
The Worcester Red Sox has announced the inaugural 2024 WooSox Hall of Fame inductees. The esteemed class includes Larry Lucchino, the current Chairman of the Worcester Red Sox, Ed Augustus Jr., former Worcester City Manager, and Rich Gedman, former Boston Red Sox catcher, and current WooSox hitting coach.
Larry Lucchino, who was previously inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2016 and the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame in 2022, served as the WooSox Chairman & Principal Owner from the club’s inception in 2021 through 2023. He remained the WooSox Chairman after the team’s sale to Diamond Baseball Holdings in December 2023. Lucchino’s contribution as the Boston Red Sox President/CEO during an extraordinary 14-year period from 2002 through 2015, in which the club won three World Series, is unparalleled.
Ed Augustus Jr., the former Worcester City Manager from 2014-2022, played a crucial role in working closely with Lucchino for over three years to bring the Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate from Pawtucket, RI to Worcester, MA. Augustus’s extensive experience and dedication to public service spanning over 35 years are commendable. He has built effective teams and brought people together to have a positive impact on communities. Augustus currently serves as the Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities after being appointed to that newly created post by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey in June 2023.
Worcester native Rich Gedman, who is a Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer, grew up around the corner from Polar Park on Lafayette Street in Worcester, MA. He is the first hitting coach in WooSox history, serving since 2021, and returns for his fourth year with his hometown team in 2024. Gedman has spent a decade as the Red Sox Triple-A hitting coach, the longest tenure of any Red Sox Triple-A hitting coach in franchise history. His induction into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020, along with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, is a testament to his exceptional contribution to the game.
The WooSox Hall of Fame recognizes former or current WooSox players, managers, coaches, broadcasters, executives, and others who have been instrumental in the history of the Worcester Red Sox and Worcester baseball.
A 17-person panel that includes club executives, print & broadcast media members, and business & community leaders chose the first-ever WooSox Hall of Fame inductees.