Polar Park to Host Futures League All-Star Game Tuesday, July 22

WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester Red Sox and the Worcester Bravehearts today announced at a joint press conference at Polar Park that the home of the WooSox will, for the first time, host the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) All-Star Game.

The summertime event, which last took place in Worcester in 2016, is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 3 p.m. for a seven-inning American Legion Baseball game featuring the Shrewsbury Quaranta Post 397 at 4 p.m.

The All-Star Festivities begin the night before, Monday, July 21, with a Home Run Derby at Worcester’s historic Fitton Field at the College of the Holy Cross, where “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived,” Ted Williams, blasted his first home run in New England as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Tickets go on sale today at polarpark.com/futuresleague. Fans can purchase Home Run Derby tickets for $15 apiece, or a package to both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game for $20. Fans are welcome to fill Polar Park’s seating bowl on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Futures League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising seven teams in New England: the Brockton Rox, Westfield Starfires, and Worcester Bravehearts, all located in Massachusetts; the New Britain Bees and Norwich Sea Unicorns of Connecticut; the Nashua Silver Knights of New Hampshire; and the Vermont Lake Monsters.

Notable alumni include Jeremy Peña, the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 World Series, who starred for the former Torrington Titans of the Futures League in 2015. The Rhode Island native grew up attending Pawtucket Red Sox games at McCoy Stadium before being drafted in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft by Houston.

Former WooSox catcher Mickey Gasper, who batted .367 in 169 at-bats in 2024, was named the Futures League Most Valuable Player as a member of the Nashua Silver Knights in 2016. That summer, Gasper set league-wide career records in batting average (.421), on-base percentage (.532), slugging percentage (.726), and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.257).

“The City of Worcester is a community rich with baseball history, from serving as the home of the Worcester Worcesters of the 1880s to Ted Williams hitting his first home run for the Boston Red Sox at Fitton Field,” said Worcester Mayor Joe Petty. “I look forward to welcoming some of the nation’s best collegiate baseball players to the Heart of the Commonwealth and watching them play at Polar Park, a year-round civic space utilized in winter or summer, while the WooSox are home or on the road.”

The WooSox and the Bravehearts established their partnership on February 29, 2024, to promote Diamond Sports and collaborate on goodwill initiatives throughout the Worcester community.

“This jewel event will bring new families to Polar Park, to the Canal District, and to Worcester,” said WooSox President Dr. Charles A. Steinberg. “It’s good for our city and good for our National Pastime. We thank the Bravehearts, especially the Vaccaro family, for their partnership.”

The WooSox introduced the 2024 Bravehearts on the field at Polar Park on May 24, 2024, the eve of the Bravehearts’ Opening Day (May 25) game at Fitton Field. Over the summer, Bravehearts players and officials participated in several WooSox Youth Clinics, presented by the Hanover Insurance Group, as well as a community youth clinic with Worcester City Councilor Luis Ojeda and TLK Sports as part of Major League Baseball’s “Play Ball Weekend” on June 15.

Throughout the offseason, the clubs’ Community Relations departments collaborated at several community events, such as a turkey distribution event organized by the City of Worcester in November.

The rain date for the Futures League All-Star Game is Wednesday, July 23, at Polar Park.