“Alas, all’s well that ends.” –– WooSox ‘24 A retrospective look into WooSox ‘24 as the team posts another winning season (their 4th winning campaign in four years of existence)
by Ryan Sheahan
The Worcester Red Sox celebrated a memorable 2024 season in the Heart of the Commonwealth. In their fourth season at Polar Park, the WooSox tied their franchise record with 79 wins––which included 25 victories in a 32-game stretch from August 7-September 12. Though the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate couldn’t capture a postseason berth for the first time since the 2014 Pawtucket Red Sox, the 2024 WooSox were one for the history books. Eleven different records were set, exciting new faces arrived in Worcester, fireworks filled the Friday night sky, feel-good stories surfaced left and right, and 500,000 tickets were sold for the third year in a row––all in a spectacular six months of baseball.
Larry Lucchino on WooSox Opening Day in 2023.
But on that crisp, mid-40s day in April tragedy struck the WooSox organization and the baseball world. Larry Lucchino, the club’s principal owner and chairman, passed away early in the morning on April 2, 2024––the day of the home opener. With the birth of a new season came the hardest of goodbyes to not just one of baseball’s greatest minds, but the man who became part of Worcester’s family by bringing the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate to the Heart of the Commonwealth. As the Red Sox Hall of Famer would say, “Alas, all’s well that ends.” After honoring Lucchino in pregame ceremonies, the WooSox dropped the home opener against the Buffalo Bisons in 10 innings, 2-0. Worcester went on to play .500 ball over the season’s first two months as the club entered the summer months with a modest 26-29 record.
And now, a look back at WooSox ‘24.
A Somber Start
By the end of Spring Training in March of 2024, all eyes were on the Boston Red Sox’ minor league system with several of the sport’s top prospects ascending to the upper levels. Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel––the Sox’ top three and regarded by MLB Pipeline in their preseason rankings as top 50 prospects in baseball––were slated to begin the year at Double-A Portland. While the trio donned Sea Dogs uniforms, the group playing about two hours south on I-95 were gearing up for Opening Day in Allentown, Pennsylvania against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Though Worcester lost a heartbreaker in game one on Rodolfo Castro’s walk-off grand slam, they responded to win the next two before making their way to Polar Park for the home opener.
Called Up the Minor League Ladder
The WooSox’ on-field performance was far from the
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