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| David Griffin, Syracuse Mets, Photo by Herm Card - herm4444@gmail.com |
Worcester, MA – The Syracuse Mets ran into hot hitting from the Worcester Red Sox, who scored 11 runs on 13 hits on their way to an 11-5 win on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Polar Park. The WooSox ensured the two teams would split the six-game series with their win on Sunday afternoon. The Mets had taken three out of the first five games in the series. Syracuse finishes their 75-game road slate in the 2023 season with a 32-43 record.
For the second straight day, Syracuse (25-41, 58-82) gifted their starting pitcher some early run support. They scored three times in the top of the first, highlighted by a two-run double from Jose Peroza and an RBI single from Michael Perez. All three of the Mets runs scored in the top of the first inning came with two outs. Best of all, Syracuse chased Worcester (38-30, 77-66) starter Shane Drohan from the game early, as he only recorded two outs and left after six batters faced and 35 pitches thrown.
The Mets added a little more run support in the top of the fourth. After Peroza doubled to start the inning, he moved to third on a one-out flyout and stayed on third after a two-out walk to Carlos Cortes extended the inning. Wyatt Young then hit a little dribbler on the left side of the infield that he beat out for a single, scoring Peroza to up the Syracuse lead to 4-0.
From there, it all snowballed on Syracuse. David Griffin began the game with three scoreless innings, striking out four batters in those frames. In the fourth, he began the frame with consecutive walks to Enmanuel Valdez and Ronaldo Hernández, and after a Corey Rosier flyout, a Narciso Crook single loaded up the bases with one out. Then, Niko Kavadas dunked a shallow single down into left field that scored two runs and made it a 4-2 game. Griffin escaped the inning without further trouble, eventually completing his line on the afternoon. The Massachusetts native went four innings in his return to his home state, allowing two runs (both earned) on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
In the fifth, the WooSox took the lead for good with an offensive flurry. They scored four runs on four hits plus two walks and a costly error, roaring out to a 6-4 lead that they would never relinquish. Nick Sogard, Hernández and Rosier contributed RBI hits in the four-run flurry of an inning. Worcester sent 10 men to the plate in the fifth inning.
The Mets briefly crawled back to within one run in the top of the sixth when Michael Perez launched a solo home run to dead centerfield, his second home run in as many games. He also homered in Friday night's game and had the night off on Saturday. However, in the bottom of the sixth, the WooSox put the game officially out of reach with four more runs to make it a 10-5 game. The fateful blow of the frame was a two-out, three-run home run from Niko Kavadas that turned it into a 10-5 advantage for the home team. Kavadas hit three home runs this week and now has 21 home runs combined between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
Worcester wrapped up their scoring in the seventh via another two-out home run, this one from Sogard that made it an 11-5 game. Sogard finished the game 3-for-5 with a double, a home run two runs driven in and three runs scored. Most impressively, the WooSox pitching staff held down the fort after Drohan's rocky start. By the end of the ballgame, eight different Red Sox pitchers appeared in the game. Worcester held Syracuse off the scoreboard in the final three innings. In fact, the Mets did not have a hit and had just two total baserunners in the final three innings.
Syracuse now returns to NBT Bank Stadium to play its final six games of the 2023 season, taking on the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The first game of the final homestand of the season is slated for a 6:35 start on Tuesday evening. José Chacin is scheduled to take the mound for the Mets.
Jose Peroza! Again!
— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) September 17, 2023
Off and rolling in Worcester 💪 pic.twitter.com/XLOv7nDeaz
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