PawSox Game Notes: May 25

LEHIGH VALLEY (25-19)     at     PAWTUCKET (19-24)     7:05 pm  
Lehigh Valley IronPigs LHP Cole Irvin (4-1, 2.81) vs. Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Marcus Walden (0-2, 5.79)
A Summer Opening Weekend at McCoy - The Pawtucket Red Sox play the opener of a 5-game, 4-day wrap-around holiday weekend series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (AAA-Philadelphia) tonight at 7:05 pm at McCoy Stadium.   Pawtucket's season-long 9-game homestand (2-2 thus far) continues through Memorial Day Monday as the PawSox now host the 1^st-place IronPigs for 5-games. Tomorrow (Saturday) the clubs will play a make-up doubleheader beginning at 4:05 pm (from the Opening Night snow-out here at McCoy on April 6). Between games of the single-admission twinbill, the club will stage their 3^rd Annual PawSox Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony featuring 2018 electees former outfielder Fred Lynn and current team Vice Chairman Mike Tamburro. After the second game, the PawSox will hold their third of ten Saturday Night Fireworks Shows as fans will be treated to a spectacular display set to Patriotic Music. On Sunday at 1:35 pm, the first 3,000 fans coming to McCoy will be given a PawSox Sports Bottle. Prior to the game, all fans are invited to play "A Summer Catch" on the McCoy outfield from approximately 12:15 - 12:45 pm. After the game, kids (young & old) will be able to Run the Bases at McCoy. The holiday weekend will be capped with a Memorial Day matinee on Monday at 1:35 pm vs. the IronPigs in the homestand finale. After that game, Pawtucket will not return to McCoy until June 5 vs. Louisville at 6:15 pm.
TV Time - Tonight's game is the first of ten that will be televised live on YurView on COX throughout Rhode Island as our friends from COX make their return to McCoy for their first PawSox telecast since 2010. Tonight's game is also being shown on Spectrum TV3 in the Worcester area (one of 11 PawSox games that station is televising this season). The holiday weekend is full of TV exposure for the PawSox as both games of tomorrow's doubleheader at 4:05 pm will be beamed on myRITV as will Sunday's 1:35 pm affair. myRITV is televising 23 games from McCoy this season. (NESN cameras were at McCoy this past Monday and will return for three more games throughout the year).
Last Chasing First - The last-place PawSox, who have dropped 12 of their 16 games, are still only -5½ GB of 1^st-place Lehigh Valley and look to gain some ground this weekend vs. the IronPigs. Less than three weeks ago (May 6 & 7), Pawtucket was in 1^st-place in the IL North with Lehigh Valley close behind. Since then, specifically May 8 after the IronPigs beat the PawSox, it's been all Lehigh Valley as the Pigs have won 11 of their last 16 games and have been atop the division ever since (17 straight days) while the Sox have spent time in 2^nd, 4^th, 5^th, and currently 6^th-place.
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