Fitzgerald & Zimmer Drive in Runs, WooSox Drop Fourth Straight to Tides

Murphy Goes Four Scoreless in Relief as Worcester Falls 4-3

By Cooper Boardman

September 1, 2023

WORCESTER, M.A. — The Norfolk Tides (32-23, 80-49) won their fourth in a row over the Worcester Red Sox (31-23, 70-59), a 4-3 final in front of 9,508 on Friday night at Polar Park. For the second straight night, an big swing gave Norfolk an early stranglehold on the ballgame.

WORCESTER, M.A. — The Norfolk Tides (32-23, 80-49) won their fourth in a row over the Worcester Red Sox (31-23, 70-59), a 4-3 final in front of 9,508 on Friday night at Polar Park.

For the second straight night, an big swing gave Norfolk an early stranglehold on the ballgame. With a man on in the first, Coby Mayo unloaded for a three-run home run to left, a 447-foot swing to put the road team on top.

The WooSox got one back in the bottom of the third, an inning that began with a Yu Chang double. Bobby Dalbec was next, and he ripped an RBI single for his 71^st Triple-A RBI of the year.

In the fourth, Worcester first baseman Yu Chang was injured in a collision with Maverick Handley; both players were removed from the game.

On the mound, Chris Murphy delivered four innings of scoreless relief, striking out five and scattering four total baserunners. The left-hander reached 94.9 miles-per-hour with his fastball and recorded nine swing-and-misses.

The Tides got a key insurance run in the eighth off reliever Justin Garza—after Daz Cameron doubled, he moved to third and scored on a sac-fly to make it 4-1.

Worcester responded by mounting a ninth-inning comeback, a frame that began with Ryan Fitzgerald’s team-leading sixth triple. Bradley Zimmer followed with an RBI double to left-center and Narciso Crook singled to put runners on the corners. But Norfolk got a 5-4-3 double play and a groundout, dropping the WooSox’ record in one-run games to 17-21.

The WooSox continue the six-game series on Saturday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. at Polar Park against the Norfolk Tides, affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. On the mound, Kyle Barraclough (8-0, 2.43) faces Chayce McDermott (3-2, 2.79). Television coverage is on NESN+, while radio coverage is live on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.