Happy Birthday, Hank Aaron
Today, the Worcester Red Sox celebrate what would have been Hank Aaron's 89th birthday. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Aaron hit 755 home runs throughout his 23 years in the big leagues—a record that stood for 33 years. He holds the records for All-Star
Today, the Worcester Red Sox celebrate what would have been Hank Aaron's 89th birthday.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Aaron hit 755 home runs throughout his 23 years in the big leagues—a record that stood for 33 years. He holds the records for All-Star selections at 25, career RBIs at 2,297, career total bases at 6,856, and career extra-base hits at 1,477.
Aaron was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, his first year of eligibility, and in 1999, Major League Baseball introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. In addition, he was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP, and the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award. (And so many more.)
Shortly after Aaron passed away on January 22, 2021, former commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, spoke about his close friend at the memorial service at Atlanta's Friendship Baptist Church. The duo had been best friends since 1958, when their paths overlapped in Milwaukee. Aaron was by that point a baseball star, but Selig—who years later became owner of the Milwaukee Braves/Brewers before being elected into MLB's top leadership position—was a recent college graduate working at his father's auto dealership. They often attended Green Bay Packers games together at Lambeau Field.
Selig recalled being moved by something that Aaron said shortly before his passing.
"He said to me, 'Who would have ever thought all those years ago that a Black kid from Mobile, Alabama would break Babe Ruth’s home run record, and a Jewish kid from Milwaukee would become commissioner of baseball?’"
The legendary friendship is documented in detail in Selig's 2019 autobiography, "For the Good of the Game," which WooSox President Dr. Charles Steinberg helped compile and write.
Ballou on Baseball - June 18, 2025
By Bill Ballou, Player development is about the Kristian Campbells, Roman Anthonys, Marcelo Mayers and Chase Meidroths of the world, but that is not all it is about. It’s about the Brian Van Belles, also. The WooSox’ best pitcher in 2025, so far, is gone to Cincinnati (AAA-Louisville) in a
The Second Edition of the Great Polar Park Writer Series - Saturday, June 21
A homegrown analysis of the 2025 Red Sox season and more The second edition of the Great Polar Park Writer Series will be held on Saturday, June 21st in the DCU Club at Polar Park. Gates open at 12:30 pm and the program will run from 1:00 – 2:00 pm.
Criswell Tosses Four Scoreless, WooSox Drop Series Finale to IronPigs
ALLENTOWN, PA — Despite a strong start from Cooper Criswell, the Worcester Red Sox (37-31) dropped the series finale on Sunday at Coca-Cola Park to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (46-23) by a 4-1 final. The WooSox are now 4-4-4 in their first 12 series of the season: four wins, four
Jordan Drives Home Winning Run in Tenth, WooSox Win 5-3 in Extras
ALLENTOWN, P.A. – The Worcester Red Sox (37-30) scored twice in the tenth to beat the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (45-23) on Saturday night, a 5-3 win at Coca-Cola Park. For the second straight night, the WooSox went to extra innings on the road. In a 3-3 game, they put runners
De Leon Hurls Five Strong Innings, WooSox Fall to IronPigs In Extras
ALLENTOWN, PA — Despite a strong start from Jose De Leon, the Worcester Red Sox (36-30) fell in extra innings on Friday night at Coca-Cola Park, losing 4-3 to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (45-22) in 10 innings. With the WooSox leading 3-2 in the bottom of the tenth, Payton Henry
Worcester Win Streak Snapped at Nine in Loss at Lehigh Valley
ALLENTOWN, P.A. – The Worcester Red Sox (36-29) saw their nine-game win streak end on Tuesday night, a 12-3 loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (44-22) at Coca-Cola Field. In his second Triple-A start of the season, Richard Fitts posted the following line: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3
Great Polar Park Writers Series to Begin Its Second Season This Saturday, May 24
WORCESTER, MA — This Saturday, May 24, the Great Polar Park Writers Series will begin its sophomore season before the Worcester Red Sox’ 4:05 p.m. game against the Durham Bulls (Triple-A, Tampa Bay Rays). For the second straight year, the WooSox Foundation will host Saturday afternoon luncheons featuring outstanding authors
WooSox Set Club Record for Longest Winning Streak, Win 9th Straight
ALLENTOWN, PA — The Worcester Red Sox (36-28) set a new WooSox club-record for longest winning streak, winning their ninth consecutive game by topping the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (43-22) by a 13-3 final on Wednesday night at Coca-Cola Park. The WooSox were a season-high tying 12½ games behind the IronPigs
“To Think That Today’s The Day, It’s Pretty Surreal”: Behind the Scenes of Marcelo Mayer’s Call-Up at Polar Park
WORCESTER, MA — Shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 24, Worcester Red Sox Manager Chad Tracy summoned Marcelo Mayer to his office at Polar Park. Murmurs of his call-up had been percolating since the day before when Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman suffered a quad strain. Those around
5th Annual "Food Truck, Beer & Bev Fest" Makes Summer Return at Polar Park Saturday, June 28, from 5–10 p.m.
WORCESTER, MA — The fifth annual "Food Truck, Beer & Bev Fest” will return to Polar Park, Saturday, June 28, from 5 to 10 p.m. Last year marked the first time that the event was held during the summer months after the first three installments took place in the fall.
WooSox Win Eighth Straight, Crush Lehigh Valley 8-1
ALLENTOWN, P.A. – The Worcester Red Sox (35-28) stayed hot on Tuesday night, extending their win streak to eight games with an 8-1 victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (43-21) at Coca-Cola Field. The club equals its longest win streak since it moved to Worcester, an eight game stretch in
Worcester Wins Seventh Straight, Sweeps Rochester With 5-4 Win
WORCESTER, M.A. – The Worcester Red Sox (34-28) finished off a six-game sweep of the Rochester Red Wings (22-39) on Sunday afternoon with a 5-4 win at Polar Park. The WooSox earned the second six-game sweep in their history and first since 2021. With the victory, Worcester has won seven
Ballou on Baseball - June 3, 2025
By Bill Ballou The milestone passed without much notice but Chad Tracy managed his 500th game for Worcester last Saturday in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. The Boston Red Sox have had Triple-A affiliates since 1934. In the 94 seasons since then only nine men have managed 500 or more games. Joe Morgan has
WooSox Hit Game-Tying Homers in 9th, 10th, Win on Walkoff
WORCESTER, M.A. – The Worcester Red Sox (29-28) blasted game-tying home runs in the ninth and tenth innings to set up a walkoff win on Tuesday night, a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Rochester Red Wings (22-34) at Polar Park. The WooSox trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth
McDonough Drives in Three in Come-From-Behind Win in Scranton
MOOSIC, PA — After being held scoreless in 15 consecutive innings from Friday to Sunday, the Worcester Red Sox (28-28) broke through with seven runs over the last four innings as part of a 7-4 come-from-behind victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (25-29) on Sunday afternoon at PNC Field. With the
WooSox Shut Out at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Fall 3-0
MOOSIC, P.A. – The Worcester Red Sox (27-28) were shut out for the second time this season, falling 3-0 to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (25-28) on Saturday afternoon at PNC Field. Zach Penrod got the start as an opener for the WooSox, his second appearance since being activated off the injured
WooSox Fall to RailRiders on Friday Night
MOOSIC, PA — After winning back-to-back one-run games, the Worcester Red Sox (27-27) dropped a two-run decision to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (24-28), a 3-1 final on Friday night at PNC Field. After seven scoreless innings, Nate Eaton drew a lead-off walk in the top of the eighth. He advanced to
Van Belle Dazzles Again, Garcia Homers in 3-2 Win
MOOSIC, P.A. – The Worcester Red Sox (27-26) homered twice and got a gem from their starter in a 3-2 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (23-28) on Thursday night at Polar Park. Brian Van Belle turned in his latest outstanding start, posting the following line: 7 IP, 7 H, 0