Pawtucket Red Sox Close Out At Home And Thank Fans

The Pawtucket Red Sox closed out their home schedule at McCoy Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Paw Sox went on to win the game 3-0 over the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. The only runs scored on the afternoon came from a 3 run blast off the bat of Tzu-Wei Lin. Hector Velazquez also had a great game for the Paw Sox. In 7 innings, he only gave up 1 hit as he earned the win.

After the game, the Paw Sox had several promotions going on around the ballpark as they thanked their fans for a great season. The Paw Sox had pony rides on the football field next to the stadium. They let kids run the bases after game. They even had a helicopter drop tennis balls onto the field

The Paw Sox welcomed 409,960 fans into McCoy Stadium this season. That was up from the 2016 season. In the 2016 season, 407,097 fans went through the turnstiles at McCoy Stadium. There were also 11 sellouts at McCoy Stadium this season.

Helicopter Drop

During the helicopter drop, the Pawtucket Red Sox placed three hula hoops in center field. Each hula hoop represented a section of the ballpark. You can find the whole video on the Trifecta Face Book page or you can find a portion of it below.

The #PawSox had a helicopter drop tennis balls onto the field. It was a part of a last game celebration. pic.twitter.com/CsRInyP9eL

— Evan Cook (@evancook33) August 27, 2017

The prize that the team gave out to fans was free frostys from Wendys. That was on top of the free frostys that they were giving out to all the fans from the “Pop Flys For Frostys” promotion that the team has during the game.

Day As A Whole

Pawtucket Red Sox players thanked their fans after the game by throwing soft toss balls into the crowd. After that, the team had the helicopter come in to drop the tennis balls on to the field.

Once the helicopter left McCoy Stadium, the Paw Sox let kids run the bases. Then in the football field next to the stadium, the Paw Sox had horses for children to ride.

The next Pawtucket Red Sox game to be played at McCoy Stadium is on Friday April 6th, 2018 against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

Red Sox Prospect Hector Velazquez Dazzles In Start With Paw Sox

Hector Velazquez started on the mound today as the Pawtucket Red Sox closed out their home schedule at McCoy Stadium. He dazzled the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs through 7 innings while giving up only 1 hit. HE was credited with the win as the Paw Sox went on to beat the Iron Pigs 3-0 in front of 8,207 fans.

Before today, Velazquez looked like he was starting to get tired. Over a 3 start period, he gave up 10 runs (9 earned). For a guy who has had an ERA for a majority of the season around 1.50, that is very troubling.

But the last time he pitched before today was 9 days ago, and it looked like it benefited him greatly. Velazquez and Brian Johnson are two players that could give the Red Sox pitching staff a huge boost this September.

Hector Velazquez last 4 starts at AAA Pawtucket:

• July 29th at Indianapolis: 5 innings, giving up 8 hits, 5 runs (2 home runs), 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts on 74 pitches (47 strikes).
• August 7th vs. Charlotte: 5 innings, giving up 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts on 88 pitches (58 strikes).
• August 12th against Columbus: 4 innings, giving up 7 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), 3 walks, and struck out 3 on 92 pitches (51 strikes).
• August 18th at Columbus: 6 innings, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs (1 home run) 1 walk, and struck out 5 on 97 pitches (61 strikes).

Velazquez Today

Velazquez was optioned to the Boston Red Sox on August 22nd before being re-optioned back to AAA Pawtucket on the 24th. This gave Velazquez an extra 4 days off. It looked like Velazquez benefited from extra time off.

Hector Velasquez gets Cameron Perkins to ground into a 5-4 FC in the 7th inning of today’s #PawSox game pic.twitter.com/VMeDITZHPL

— Trifecta Network (@trifectanetwork) August 27, 2017

Today Velazquez showed that he can pitch exactly like how he was earlier this season. A few weeks ago after his start against the Columbus Clippers, I said that it looked like Velazquez was tired and needed down time. Today he was able to have his start on extra rest, and pitched like he was refreshed.

Velazquez easily had his best start of the season for Paw Sox. In 7 innings, today, he gave up 1 hit, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts on 95 pitches (62 strikes). The one hit he gave up was a 2 out single to Cameron Perkins in the 1st inning. After that he retired 19 of the next 20 batters to close out his day.

Velazquez Going Forward

Hector Velazquez and Brian Johnson are two pitchers that are probably going to be called up to Boston this September. Both pitchers are capable of starting games for the Boston Red Sox too. They both could come up big for the Red Sox if they do need them while the Red Sox try to get some extra rest for their current starters.

Earlier this month, it looked like that Velazquez was starting to get tired. At one point over 3 starts, he gave up 9 earned runs over 14 innings. That was from a guy who had a 1.58 ERA at the beginning of that stretch.

This extra time off looked like it benefited Velazquez greatly. Going forward, I see that Velazquez could be a valuable member of the Red Sox pitching staff come this September.

Carson Smith Dazzles In Rehab Appearance With The Pawtucket Red Sox

Boston Red Sox reliever Carson Smith made his 8th rehab appearance on Saturday night at McCoy Stadium. It was his seventh appearance for the Pawtucket Red Sox with the right hander continuing his journey back after undergoing Tommy John Surgery.

Smith was initially slated to pitch on Friday night with the goal getting him to an every-other-day schedule. But after a discussion on Friday, it was determined, pushing him back a day was the right move.

Smiths Rehab Appearances

1. August 5th for the Portland Sea Dogs: .1 IP, 0 H, 3 BB, 2 ER
2. August 8th for the Pawtucket Red Sox: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 SO
3. August 12th for the Pawtucket Red Sox: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO
4. August 15th for the Pawtucket Red Sox: .1 IP, 3 H, 2ER
5. August 18th for the Pawtucket Red Sox: 1.0 IP, 1 BB
6. August 21st for the Pawtucket Red Sox: 1.0 IP, 2 SO
7. August 23rd for the Pawtucket Red Sox: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO
8. August 26th for the Pawtucket Red Sox: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 SO

Saturday’s appearance for Smith was an effective one as he continues to take steps in the right direction.