The Pawtucket Red Sox opened their International League semifinal playoff series against the Syracuse Chiefs with a dramatic win at McCoy Stadium.
Garin Cecchini lifted the PawSox to a 2-1 win Wednesday with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning. Pawtucket leads the series 1-0 with Game 2 scheduled to be played Thursday night.
Edwin Escobar, who was acquired from the Giants in the deal that sent Jake Peavy to San Francisco before the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline, came within one out of a complete-game shutout. Syracuse’s Brandon Laird tied the game 1-1 and sent the game to extra innings with a clutch ninth-inning home run.
The PawSox loaded the bases against Manny Delcarmen and Ryan Mattheus with no outs in the 10th. The Chiefs pulled the infield in, and Cecchini shot a base hit into center field.
Delcarmen, of course, played in parts of five seasons with the Red Sox after being drafted by the organization in the second round in 2000. The 32-year-old, who hasn’t appeared in a major league game since 2010, is a graduate of West Roxbury High School.
Heath Hembree, also acquired in the Peavy trade, earned the win for Pawtucket. He retired all four batters he faced after Escobar surrendered the ninth-inning homer to Laird.
Photo via Twitter/@JillSoPhotos21
