On Saturday, July, 9, the Worcester Red Sox paid tribute to their Pawtucket Red Sox history and Rhode Island roots. In order to commemorate their 50 years in Pawtucket, the WooSox transformed back to the PawSox, wearing their old jerseys and hosting their old mascots.
Worcester hosted more than 500 fans, friends, and employees from their time spent in RI, including some who have been watching the team since 1970. Former Red Sox and PawSox player Ken Ryan was in attendance to take pictures and sign autographs for fans throughout the day. Ken is a native of Pawtucket who has deep ties with the organization.
The WooSox also continue a tradition that was held at McCoy Stadium: the “Scout Sleepover,” where Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are invited to camp out overnight on Polar Park’s outfield grass. The sleepovers were implemented in Worcester last season and this was the third of the season.
Among those honored in the pre-game ceremonies were the Pawtucket YMCA and the Pawtucket Boys and Girls Club. Both were longtime community partners of the organization during its time in Pawtucket. Representing the YMCA were leaders Charlene Lamountain, Jennifer Cantone, and Joemeli Garcia-Torres. For over 72 years, children from the Boys and Girls Club received tickets to attend a World Series game, a tradition started by local umpire Hank Soar.
Representing the Boys and Girls Club of Pawtucket were Phil Ayoub, Arthur Kaufman, Joe Fleming, and Matt Bergeron. Also in attendance was State Representative Carlos Tobon, who was a member of the program and currently serves as first Vice Chair of the House of Veterans’ Affairs Committee and a member of the House Innovation, Internet, and Technology Committee.
Throwing a Ceremonial First Pitch was former PawSox and current WooSox photographer and talented singer Tayla Bolduc. A Pawtucket native, Bolduc was a huge fan of the PawSox growing up before following her beloved team to Worcester.
Honored as the Hometown Hero was the president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, Neil Steinberg. Steinberg’s leadership has helped raise over $600 million in funds since 2008. He also led the charge in creating the Crater Roger Williams Scholarship and the Andrew Scholarship.
Next, the WooSox honored a group of employees who worked for both the PawSox and WooSox. First up was “The King of Baseball,” and former president of the Pawsox, and current vice chairman of the WooSox, Mike Tamburro. Also honored was public relations stalwart, Senior Vice President of Communications Bill Wanless; Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships Michael Gwynn; corporate sponsorships member Mike Lyons; Vice President of Ticket Operations Sammy Soccoia-Beggs; Senior Vice President of Marketing and Assistant General Manager Brooke Cooper; Chief Ambassador and five-generation Rhode Islander Rick Medeiros; and ushers Steve Martin, Tony Souza, Graham Watkins, Russell Giles, Brendan Teller, and Louann Valleta.
The pre-game ceremonies concluded with the singing of the national anthem and the Game Ball to the Mound presentation. The anthem was performed by the Private Label, a barbershop quartet that performed the anthem at McCoy Stadium over 40 times. The game ball was delivered by a 10-year-old Pawtucket native named Brayden.
Honored on Saturday during the “In Debt to a Vet” ceremony was Sergeant Dan Foley, who served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970; Staff Sergeant and Major Jack Dean, who is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and Army and served in the Vietnam war; Petty Officer First Class Thomas Newell, who served in the United States Navy from 1974-1996 and is a former PawSox Season Ticket Holder; and E-4 Specialist Joseph Vadnais, who is a veteran of the United States Army, serving from 1990-1995.
The WooSox lost a close game, 3-2, to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, but for hundreds of fans, it was still an impactful day.