Pawtucket Red Sox Starting Pitcher Ryan Weber Extremely Efficient Sunday Afternoon At McCoy Stadium Against Indianapolis Indians 

On Sunday afternoon, the Paw Sox sent out Ryan Weber to start his third game game at AAA since he was optioned down from Boston on June 7th. It was by far his best start of the season at the AAA level. In 6 innings of work, he only gave up 1 run on 2 hits. He was able to do this on 70 pitches, 42 for strikes. 

The Paw Sox were able to get a couple of home runs on the afternoon from Gorkys Hernandez and Bryce Brentz. Hernandez got it started in the third inning with his 10th home run of the season into the right field bullpen to give the Paw Sox a 1-0 lead.

Number 10 for Gorkys@Supercuts #SuperPlay pic.twitter.com/GtAX2qrTW6

— PawSox (@PawSox) June 23, 2019

Then in the 6th inning, Bryce Brentz hits his 13 home run of the season, his second home run in as many days. A towering shot that went into the right field berm. He is now only two home runs behind Josh Ockimey for the team lead in home runs. 

Two big flies for Bryce Brentz in back-to-back days. pic.twitter.com/cQBtY7yJn3

— PawSox (@PawSox) June 23, 2019

Then in the 9th inning with the score tied at 3, Paw Sox manager Billy McMillon brought in Jenrry Mejia for the inning. With one out in the inning, Christian Kelley hit a single to right field to bring in the go ahead run for the Indians to give them a 4 to 3 lead. 

In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Paw Sox were able to load the bases with 2 outs in the inning. But Cole Sturgeon grounded out to the second basemen on a 3-2 count to end the game. The Paw Sox went on to lose the game by a score of 4 to 3. There were were four full counts on Paw Sox batters in the inning.  

“I think that has a lot to say about the character of those guys. Grind at-bats. Not giving up. Not coinciding” said Paw Sox manager Billy McMillon after the game. “The law of averages say that it’s going to start turning our way. We lost a ton of one run ballgames where we had chances. The message would be to continue to grind and compete and battle up there” said an optimistic McMillon.   

Ryan Weber Was Painting Sunday Afternoon

In Ryan Weber’s last start for the Paw Sox on Wednesday night, Weber only went 3 innings, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits while throwing 69 pitches, 44 for strikes. 

“In his last outing, we cut him a little bit. So he came out after 2 or 3 innings or so because we were lining him up to start today. So he was going to give us as much as he could today” said manager Billy McMillon after the game. 

On Sunday afternoon, Ryan Weber was working extremely quick in his eighth start for the Paw Sox. That included 13 straight batters that were retired between the first and the fifth inning. While Ryan was able to work extremely efficiently, he was pitching on short rest. His previous start was on June 19th in the second game of the Paw Sox doubleheader against the Durham Bulls. 

“What he did today is what he’s done in his career. His ball was moving, he was locating, he was keeping the batters off balance. If he does that, he has a chance to go deep into ballgames and keep us in games” said McMillon when talking about Ryan Weber’s start on Sunday afternoon. 

For a pitcher who is not going to over power you, what he did on Sunday afternoon is exactly what you want form a pitcher like Weber. If he is spotting his pitches, he is going to go deep. The only mistake he made on the mound was in the 6th inning. Cole Tucker hit a home run down the right field line that hit the foul pole. That tied the game at 1 at the time. That ended up being Weber’s last inning. 

Next For The Paw Sox

The Paw Sox will begin a 2 game series with the Buffalo Bisons on Monday night at McCoy Stadium. The Paw Sox will pitch Darwinzon Hernandez against Thomas Pannone for Buffalo. On Tuesday, Erasmo Ramirez will be up against Ryan Feieraband for Buffalo. 

PawSox Lifted To Victory By Brentz 3-Run Shot, Solid Performance By Pitching Staff Who Held Indianapolis Scoreless

On Saturday the Pawtucket Red Sox played the Indianapolis Indians at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. 

Triple-A Pawtucket defeated the Indians 3-0 to move to 31-42 on the season. 

The starter for the PawSox, Teddy Stankiewicz, wasn’t very efficient despite allowing zero runs on the night. Stankiewicz lasted 4.2 innings allowing 4 base hits while walking 3 and striking out 4 batters. Control was a problem for Stankiewicz who through 89 pitches, 58 for strikes. 

“Stanky wasn’t sharp,” said McMillon. “But he got out of some jams and didn’t allow any runs.” 

Both teams were kept in check up until slugger Bryce Brentz got ahold of one in the bottom of the 7th with a  stadium clearing 3-run shot to make it 3-0. This was Brentz’s 12th home run of the season. 

“Bryce came up with the big hit there,”said PawSox manager Billy McMillon. “The offense that we needed.” 

Pawtucket’s bullpen did it’s job combining with Stankiewicz to pitch a shutout. 

“Bullpen was lights out,” said McMillon.

Steve Pearce, Photo Credit Tanner Rebelo

Steven Wright And Steve Pearce On Rehab 

Boston Red Sox infielder Steve Pearce played first base and hit third in the PawSox lineup. 

Pearce is rehabbing from a low back strain and Saturday’s game was his 6th rehab game, 4th with Triple-A Pawtucket. 

Pearce went 0-4 striking out twice on Saturday night following up a game on Friday where he was also held hitless. He did however make a “big play” in the field grabbing a ground ball at first, running across the diamond to get the runner caught between 3rd and home with no-outs. 

“Big play, 1st and 3rd, getting the lead runner,” said McMillon. “I can’t see what his injury was, it seems the thing right now is getting his timing at the plate.” 

Overall the 2018 World Series MVP is 3-21 on his rehab stint with an RBI and striking out 10 times.

Steven Wright, a knuckleballer, was suspended by MLB for 80-games back in March for violating the leagues performance enhancing drug policy. 

Wright who pitched in his 5th appearance with Pawtucket went 2 innings allowing 1 base hit on an efficient 21 pitches, 13 for strikes. 

“I think this is the best we have seen his knuckleball,” said McMillon. “Probably will be in Boston in a couple of days” 

The knuckleballer was groundout heavy in this one with four groundouts recorded, and then two fly outs. He has now thrown 9.2 innings this rehab stint with Pawtucket allowing 2 earned runs on 6 base hits with a 1.86 ERA. 

Wright is eligible to rejoin Boston on Tuesday. 

Next Up, Ryan Weber In The Series Finale

On Sunday the three-game weekend set with the Indians will wrap up with Ryan Weber on the bump for Pawtucket. 

Before hitting the road the PawSox will host the Buffalo Bisons for a two-game set on Monday and Tuesday.

Darwinzon Hernandez and Erasmo Ramirez are listed as the probable starters for that series. 

PawSox Manager Billy McMillon Inducted Into IL Hall of Fame For Impressive Playing Career

Pawtucket Red Sox Manager Billy McMillon had a 12-year playing career before entering the coaching realm of baseball. 

McMillon, now 46-years-old, spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues as an outfielder with the Florida Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, and the Oakland Athletics. 

On Saturday, June 22nd, the PawSox skipper was honored for his achievements at the minor league level with an induction into the International League Hall of Fame. 

“When Randy Mobley (IL President) called me, it was right after I knew I was going to be the Manager here. I thought he was going to tell me I had an old fine or something that I needed to settle up,” said McMillon jokingly. 

“I was stunned, you play the game you want to do good on the field, represent your family and all that stuff. No one is really in it looking for these types of accolades. So the fact that some people remembered that I played a long time ago. That I did enough to be considered for this, true blessing, true honor.”

In attendance was McMillon’s family taking in the cool moment at McCoy. 

Alongside McMillon pre-game was a former PawSox General Manager Lou Schwchheimer also apart of the 2019 IL Hall of Fame Class. 

#PawSox manager Billy McMillon inducted into IL Hall of Fame pic.twitter.com/hI5UmwfUKA

— Tanner Rebelo (@TannerRebelo) June 22, 2019

McMillon Won Two Batting IL Batting Titles In His Playing Career 

McMillon played for four different teams in the International League from 1996-2002 and finished with an impressive .310 batting average with 79 home runs in 609 IL games. 

Billy McMillon And Mike Miller, Photo Credit Tanner Rebelo

In 1996 when playing for Charlotte McMillon put together an impressive campaign. He hit .352 en route to wining the IL Rookie of the Year honors, the league’s batting title, and was named an All-Star. 

After leaving the Marlins organization he played parts of three seasons with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre who at the time were affiliated with the Phillies organization. His third IL team, Toledo, is where McMillon once again took the IL by storm. 

He earned his second IL batting title in 2000 for the Tigers affiliate hitting .345 and earning his second IL all-star nod. Two years later he finished his IL career with Columbus, the Triple-A affiliate of the Indians and hit .301 getting named to his third IL All-Star team. 

Memorable Moments At The Big League Level Including A Grand Slam Off Roger Clemens

McMillon did breach the big leagues on a number of occasions and hit a respectable .248 in 269 games, 601 at-bats. In the show he belted 16 home runs and drove in 93 runs while stealing 4 bases. 

His favorite moment from his playing career? 

Hitting a grand slam off of PawSox Hall of Famer Roger Clemens. 

On September 24, 2000 when he was playing with the Detroit Tigers and Clemens was with the New York Yankees. McMillon belted a ball into the upper deck of the Old Yankee Stadium in front of 40,000 Yankee fans to take the lead. 

McMillon remembered the moment fondly and still has a copy of the video on his computer. 

His second favorite all-time moment? 

In the 2003 ALDS when he was with the Oakland Athletics he ran Pedro Martinez from the game with an RBI single to make it a 1-run game. 

“That’s my second (favorite),” said McMillon when asked about the ALDS game. 

His team ended up losing the game on a Derek Lowe strikeout but “Individually, got a hit off a Hall of Famer,” said McMillon. “Kept us in the game there, that was pretty cool.” 

Working His Way Up The Red Sox Coaching Ladder 

The Columbia, South Carolina resident has been working in the Red Sox organization in some capacity since 2008 when he was brought on as the Greenville Drive’s Hitting coach and has spent the last 11 years working his way up the organizations coaching ranks. 

In 2010 he made his managerial debut at the helm of the Drive. McMillon spent six years in some sort of managerial capacity in the system with stops in Salem and Portland before serving as the Minor League Outfield and Base-running Coordinator for the past three seasons. 

Back on December 7, 2018 the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox announced that McMillon would be the new skipper of the McCoy Stadium based PawSox. 

Coming into the 2019 season McMillon owned a 440-400 (.524) record as a manager across 6 seasons. Thus far in 2019 his Triple-A Pawtucket ballclub currently owns a 30-42 record, 12 games below .500.