July 18, 2023 at 8:51 AM
Cup of Coffee: Yuten leads FCL Sox
7/16 Cup of Coffee: In an abbreviated slate of games, the FCL Sox got a de facto sweep, pulling off an extra-inning win in a previously-suspended tilt before prevailing in the regularly-scheduled contest. Both DSL squads saw their games suspended by lightning.
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This game started on June 26 and was halted in the bottom of the ninth, tied at 7-7. Michael Valera, who pitched the ninth in the original playthrough, came on for the 10th to get the win. A fielder's choice gone awry followed by a pair of free passes gave the Sox the literal walk-off. Jeremy Wu-Yelland pitched the first two innings of the contest, giving up two hits and two walks but striking out a pair. Karim Ayubi was the only player to record more than one hit for the Sox, including a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning. Deundre Jones drew the game-winning walk that scored Bryant Zayas.
Natanael Yuten led the charge in the seven-inning affair, going 2 for 4 with a double, RBI, and two runs scored. A rehabbing Ryan Fitzgerald (pictured) was 3 for 4, and Diego Viloria also added two hits. Eybersson Polanco pitched the first four innings, giving up two runs on six hits with three strikeouts. But it was Yonfi Rodriguez who earned the win with a scoreless fifth inning, while Simon Pacheco took the save despite giving up two runs in the final frame.
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In a game suspended due to lightning, Red Sox Blue fell into a deep early hole but was in the early stages of a furious comeback before play was halted. A seven-run first inning for the Tigers2 squad came at the expense of Yeferson Vargas, who failed to get out of the first inning. But a six-run fourth inning helped the Sox keep pace thanks in large part to a 3-run home run by Starlyn Nunez. Yoeilin Cespedes continued his torrid stretch of play with two hits and three RBIs in his two early plate appearances.
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Another game that saw a weather-induced shortened game saw significantly less scoring. Wuilliams Rodriguez made it through 2.1 innings before the stoppage, giving up five hits and two runs (one earned), and a strikeout. Just three hits were recorded by the Red squad in the early going, one each by Franklin Arias, Andrew Mussett, and Natanael Eusebio.
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Player of the Day: Ryan Fitzgerald, the man who rounds out the SoxProspects Top 60 list, might be on a rehab assignment, but the assignment on Monday was getting hits, and he did just that with three knocks in four at-bats and two RBI. Fitzgerald will likely soon see himself back on the Worcester roster, perhaps with a little momentum to bring with him.
Photo Credit: Ryan Fitzgerald by Kelly O'Connor