WooSox Hold Off Late IronPigs Rally to Win, 4-3
ALLENTOWN, PA –– Yohan Ramirez worked around a bases loaded jam in the ninth inning to secure a six-out save and give the Worcester Red Sox (44-30)/(79-70) a 4-3 victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (33-39)/(67-78) in the penultimate game of the 2024 season on Saturday in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Entering
ALLENTOWN, PA –– Yohan Ramirez worked around a bases loaded jam in the ninth inning to secure a six-out save and give the Worcester Red Sox (44-30)/(79-70) a 4-3 victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (33-39)/(67-78) in the penultimate game of the 2024 season on Saturday in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Entering Saturday night, Roman Anthony has hit .350/.464/.529 since his promotion to Triple-A Worcester on August 12. Recently ranked by Baseball America as the No.1 prospect in all of baseball, the 20-year-old has been a force at the top of the WooSox’ lineup, contributing to every facet of the game. In the first four contests of the series against Lehigh Valley, Anthony is 6-for-12 with seven walks––reaching base in more than two-thirds of his trips to the plate.
The former second round pick continued his scorching hot stretch on Saturday, recording hits in each of his first two plate appearances. Though his leadoff double in the first inning did not result in a run for Worcester, his RBI single off the glove of Carson Taylor in the third brought home the Corey Rosier to give the WooSox an early lead. After a passed ball moved Anthony into scoring position, Jamie Westbrook grounded his own RBI knock to right to put Worcester ahead, 2-0.
Gloves have nightmares about the bat of Roman Anthony pic.twitter.com/SDqA64beTK
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) September 21, 2024
Meanwhile, Quinn Priester had retired the first nine batters he faced––striking out five in the process. But in the fourth, the first three IronPigs notched singles to lead off the inning, with Buddy Kennedy driving home Austin Hays for Lehigh Valley’s first run of the game. After a groundout moved the runners to second and third with one out, Scott Kingery lifted a sacrifice fly to center to knot the game up at two.
Priester rebounded with a scoreless fifth inning before handing the ball to Chase Shugart for the sixth. In his final start of the year for Worcester, Priester posted a line of 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K––an excellent end to his season after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the trade deadline.
As the game moved to the seventh still tied at two, IronPigs reliever Freddy Tarnok struck out the first two WooSox batters to begin the frame but walked Max Ferguson with two outs to bring up Corey Rosier. After four consecutive two-strike foul balls, the 25-year-old laced his second triple of the game to score Ferguson and put the WooSox back in front. Following a walk to Anthony, Kyle Teel added an insurance run with an RBI single to give Worcester a 4-2 lead heading into the seventh inning stretch.
COREY ROSIER WITH HIS SECOND TRIPLE OF THE NIGHT FOR THE LEAD!!! pic.twitter.com/L2jASUMMRe
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) September 22, 2024
Wyatt Olds was next out of the ‘pen for the WooSox, relieving Shugart after the right-hander worked around a couple of baserunners in the sixth. In his only inning on Saturday, Olds struggled with command––allowing a hit and walking four––but kept the damage to a minimum. Lehigh Valley scored just one run in the inning on Olds’ fourth walk, but Ethan Wilson’s strikeout with the bases loaded and two outs kept the WooSox in front, 4-3.
Yohan Ramirez followed Olds out of the bullpen to start the eighth and looked to complete a six-out save. After striking out two in a perfect eighth inning, the 29-year-old found himself in a bit of trouble in the ninth. A pinch-hit single, hit by pitch, and walk loaded the bases with two outs for Ethan Wilson, who quickly fell behind in the count 0-2. With his next pitch, Ramirez reached back and blew a 95 mph fastball right by the IronPigs’ outfielder, picking up his fifth strikeout of the night and securing the WooSox’ 4-3 win on Saturday.
The six-out save was Ramirez’s (S, 6) sixth of the year and gave Shugart (W, 6-2) the winning decision. Tarnok (L, 0-3) was handed the loss for Lehigh Valley.
The WooSox and IronPigs will wrap-up their series––and the 2024 season––at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoon in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Jason Alexander (7-6, 4.59) will start the season finale for Worcester opposite Alan Rangel (1-2, 4.81) for Lehigh Valley. Radio coverage begins at 12:45 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.