Toro Homers, Drives in Two as WooSox Fall 4-3 in Season Opener to Syracuse

Stock Tosses Four Scoreless Innings, WooSox Strike Out 13 Mets in Defeat

March 28, 2025

WORCESTER, M.A. — The Worcester Red Sox (0-1) brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth, but a late comeback bid fell short in a 4-3 loss to the Syracuse Mets (1-0) on Opening Day. A crowd of 7,044 took in the beginning of Polar Park’s fifth year.

WORCESTER, M.A. — The Worcester Red Sox (0-1) brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth, but a late comeback bid fell short in a 4-3 loss to the Syracuse Mets (1-0) on Opening Day. A crowd of 7,044 took in the beginning of Polar Park’s fifth year.

Robert Stock got the nod as the WooSox’ Opening Day starter and delivered four scoreless innings, striking out six. Stock allowed three total baserunners and threw 62% strikes in his first affiliated start since 2023.

Worcester scored the first run of the 2025 season in the third, a frame that began with the season’s first extra-base-hit: a double from Nathan Hickey. After a groundout pushed Hickey to third, Roman Anthony grounded out to make it 1-0.

Syracuse would score in four of the next five innings, starting with two off Josh Winckowski. In the fifth, Donovan Walton cracked an RBI single, and in the seventh, Jakson Reetz blasted a solo home run. Winckowski finished the day with the following line: 3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.

Down 2-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, the WooSox rallied to tie the game. Vaughn Grissom led off the inning with a walk, and Blake Sabol singled to put runners on the corners. Abraham Toro was next, and he drove home a run on a ground ball to the right side.

But the Mets answered again in the eighth, putting two in scoring position on a pair of one-out hits against Isaiah Campbell. Diego A. Castillo lifted a go-ahead sac-fly to right, and Gilberto Celestino extended the Syracuse lead to 4-2 on a single.

Toro made it a 2-RBI day in his Red Sox organizational debut, clocking the first Worcester home run at Polar Park to lead off the ninth. Nate Eaton singled with one out to put the tying run on, but a pair of strikeouts ended the home team’s comeback bid.

The WooSox return to action Saturday at 4:05 at Polar Park against the Syracuse Mets. Television coverage is on NESN+, while radio coverage begins at 3:45 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.