Michael Gross
Game 1: Worcester Red Sox 0, Syracuse Mets 1
After Tuesday night’s ‘snow-out’, NBT Bank Stadium was in store for a chilly doubleheader between the Syracuse Mets and the Worcester Red Sox on Wednesday night.
Lefty pitcher Thomas Szapucki took the bump for Syracuse facing off against Worcester’s No. 15 prospect, right-hander Connor Seabold. Neither pitcher allowed a run in their starts, but Seabold threw a gem of a game. Six innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just four hits, striking out five, and walking two. For Szapucki, it was a different story.
On just one hit, five strikeouts and one walk, the 2015 fifth-round pick only made it through two innings. But despite his short outing, Szapucki did his job and helped move the chains for the Syracuse bullpen. The next four pitchers threw the final six innings without a hit, including the eighth—the first extra-inning in a Triple-A doubleheader. It was not until the eighth inning that things got interesting.
In the top half of the eighth, the ghost runner begins on second base and advances to third on a ground out to the pitcher. With one out in the inning and the go-ahead run just 90 feet away, Mets shortstop Wyatt Young made a marvelous stab and throw to first to keep the game scoreless. The next batter was MLB’s No. 15 prospect, Triston Casas, who lined out to Young ending the inning.
Ironically, Young led off the home half of the eighth with a sacrifice bunt that bounced nearly 15 feet high in front of the plate. Thanks to a bobble by Worcester catcher Deivy Grullon, Young reached first safely setting up runners on the corners with no outs. The very next batter, Travis Blankenhorn, hit a sac fly to center scoring the winning run for Syracuse.
The winning pitcher for the Mets was former Red Sox, 2016 sixth-round pick, Steven Nogosek, while Kaleb Ort, who did not give up an earned run in one and a third innings was awarded the loss.
Game 2: Worcester Red Sox 2, Syracuse Mets 3
Game one was slow without many hits. Game two was just about the complete opposite. The first two batters of the game, Red Sox No. 4 and No. 6 prospects, Jarren Duran and Jeter Downs, ripped singles on the first two pitches thrown by Mets lefty Rob Zastryzny. Both would come around to score on a sac-fly to center off the bat of Ryan Fitzgerald to give Worcester an early 2-0 lead. Fitzgerald now has a team-leading 11 RBI this season.
Just two innings later, the Syracuse Mets would respond. With two runners on base, the game-two designated hitter, David Palka, blasts his third home run of the season to right field, giving the Mets a 3-2 lead. Palka is now batting .276 with 10 RBI this year showing tremendous poise and power at the plate in Triple-A this season.
Neither team really threatened until the sixth inning rolled around. In the bottom half, Mets No. 27 prospect, catcher Nick Meyer, doubled to drive in an insurance run for Syracuse. Meyer knocked in his third RBI of the season and slugged his first extra-base hit of 2022 as well.
Although, the book would not be closed on this game just yet. Four batters reached base in the top of the seventh inning for Worcester, making already chilly Mets fans shake even more. Luckily, Syracuse lefty reliever, Alex Claudio, has nerves of steel.
The 30-year-old tossed 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit and one walk on his way to his first save of the season. Claudio and his teammates were able to win their second game of the day, and third game of the season, defeating the Worcester Red Sox 4-2.
Trey Cobb, a right-hander who relieved Zastryzny, earned his first win for Syracuse and Worcester starter Brian Keller received the loss.
