Wacha Starts WooSox No-Hitter in 12-0 Win Over Durham

WORCESTER, M.A. — The Worcester Red Sox (52-50) delivered the first no-hitter for a Red Sox Triple-A affiliate since 2003 and the first for the WooSox in Polar Park history, a combined hitless effort in a 12-0 win against the Durham Bulls (56-46) on Thursday night.

Michael Wacha began with night with 4.2 hitless frames, A.J. Politi tossed the next 2.1 innings and Chase Shugart had the eighth and ninth to cap off the no-no. The final out came on a diving grab in left by Devlin Granberg, who entered in the fourth.

"You see it in the bullpen sitting there watching for six or seven innings, and then you're like 'okay, there's a zero there, so don't mess it up,'" Shugart said.

GRANBERG SAVES THE NO-NO! pic.twitter.com/irHmORmgCO

— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) August 5, 2022

Thursday marks the first no-hitter by Boston’s Triple-A team since Bronson Arroyo’s perfect game for the Pawtucket Red Sox on August 10, 2003, nearly 19 years to the day.

Wacha was sterling in his rehab start (right shoulder inflammation), striking out eight in his 4.2 innings. The right-hander’s fastball reached 94 miles-per-hour, and he did not reach a three-ball count until the fifth inning, the 14th batter he faced.

A.J. Politi came on to get the final out of the fifth, walked three in the sixth, but got a strikeout and a groundout to slip out of the jam and keep Durham off the scoreboard. Chase Shugart then faced the minimum over the final two innings, including a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning.

Worcester’s no-hitter is the 23rd in Minor League Baseball this season and the second in Triple-A (Indianapolis, 4/13/22).

Offensively, every member of the WooSox’ lineup recorded at least one hit—by night’s end, the team tied season highs in home runs (4) and hits in an inning (6) and set a new season-best in homers in a frame (3).

Abraham Almonte (4-for-5) delivered a two-homer night, smashing a solo shot in the first and a two-run blast in the third. Worcester put up the three long ball inning in the third on a two-run shot from Christin Stewart, a two-run blast by Pedro Castellanos and Almonte’s second.

They also batted around in the fifth, scoring three on a Ronaldo Hernandez RBI single and a Granberg two-run knock.

Franchy Cordero, playing in his first game since being optioned from Boston, cracked an RBI single in the sixth, part of a 3-for-5 night out of the leadoff spot. Castellanos went 3-for-5, a triple shy of the cycle.

The WooSox continue the series at Polar Park on Friday at 6:45 p.m. against the Durham Bulls, affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. On the mound, Worcester's Chris Murphy (2-1, 4.61) faces Taj Bradley (1-1, 3.86). Radio coverage is live at 6:25 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network, while television coverage is on NESN+.