Last summer, Rachel and I made the 1 hour trek out to Worcester’s Polar Park for a guided tour. The City of Worcester took over the AAA franchise for the Boston Red Sox, once held for about 50 years by the City of Pawtucket (Rhode Island) a few years back. The Paw Sox became the Woo Sox. Pawtucket and Rhode Island baseball fans booed. Worcester and surrounding area businesses and baseball fans cheered. You’ve heard the stories, you’ve read the posts, you’ve seen the rants on social media – been there done that. I took the drive last year, I did the tour, I got through the emotions, I lived to tell the tale, for me it was time to turn the page and I did.
Due to some time constraints, I couldn’t stay for the game that September afternoon so I made sure that I would find time in 2023 to attend a game. And that day was yesterday afternoon. The Woo Sox were scheduled to play at 12:15 on Wednesday, so I finished what I need to work wise (for the morning) and Rachel and I headed west to Worcester for the game. We didn’t buy tickets ahead of time, like I usually do, because I figured a 12:15 game would be tough for most to attend. Boy, was I wrong. After we found parking, we made it up to the main gate at Polar Park to find a zillion other people trying to get in. I got a little nervous about tickets so I texted my good buddy and Woo Sox VP of Community and Player Relations, Joe Bradlee that I was at the ballpark and hope to see him soon. Luckily, there were general admission tickets available ($9 apiece) and I snagged two of them and headed over to the security line. Pheewwww!!! Game had already started so I was eager to get through security and into Polar Park!
Polar Park was jamming with kids from local camps, their camp counselors nearby, and a host of baseball fans of all ages enjoying a spectacular weather day in Worcester for what turned out to be the first game of a doubleheader vs Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals). Joe explained to me later that Tuesday night’s game was rained out, so let’s play 2 on Wednesday. Game 1 also featured MLB stars rehabbing in Worcester on their way back to Boston – Reese McGuire, Corey Kluber, and (probably the most anticipated position player) Trevor Story. All in the game, all seeing significant time, all gearing up to head back to the “big club” as soon as their rehab was finished. You also had former BRS stars Bobby Dalbec, David Hamilton in the lineup with rising stars like Ceddaine Raffaela in the mix. On the Red Wings side, you had former Red Sox Jeter Downs and top prospect Darren Baker, son of MLB’s Dusty Baker, Houston Astros skipper. Lot of star power at Polar Park on Wednesday!!!
Rachel and I found two red seats in left field, behind the bern, behind the left field foul pole and parked ourselves for about 4 innings and watched the game. The camp kids came and went, others took a seat on the grassy area in front of us, and the game was moving quickly with a lot of hits and runs. We had a few waters and I put on like two bottles of sunscreen to prevent a serious sunburn. The seats were great and we enjoyed every pitch, every moment.
About the 4th inning, I got a text from Joe asking where we were sitting. I responded and about 10 minutes later, Joe was standing behind my chair with two special tickets behind home plate. Joe and I go way back and did a lot of great community service work for the youth of Rhode Island baseball. Great guy and I always look forward to seeing Joe and talking Red Sox baseball. Rachel and I packed up our stuff and headed to home plate.
I mentioned Trevor Story earlier. We got to watch his at bat in the 8th inning, where he laced a single to left field. To me, he looks ready. Story played the field, made routine plays at short, ran the bases well, went 2 for 4, and showed why most consider him to be the best athlete on the Red Sox roster. Great to see him get back into the swing of things and hopefully he can contribute to the red hot Boston Red Sox in August.
I also mentioned Dalbec earlier. Dalbec had 2 home runs Wednesday and they were both no-doubters. He is hitting nearly .300 for the year with major power and run production. I always like Dalbec, I hope he lands somewhere in the Majors and gets a chance to play everyday. Not sure if there is a fit in Boston right now for him, but there are 29 other teams out there.
The Woo Sox and Red Wings split the doubleheader (layman’s terms, they each won a game in the doubleheader). The weather was fantastic. The red seats were fantastic. The upgraded seats were out of this world. Honestly, Polar Park has a tremendous layout and there is not a bad seat in the house. Wait times at the concession stands weren’t bad, the ushers were super friendly, the prices for tickets are reasonable. It was a really awesome Worcester Baseball Experience on Wednesday for Woo Sox vs Red Wings.
And huge thanks again to Joe Bradlee of the Worcester Red Sox for being such an a great community leader. Head out this summer to see a game at Polar Park. You will not be disappointed!!!
The Rhiter 
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