Danny Jalliet

Suzanne Karioki, Cover Story Assistant Editor

A Renaissance is taking place in every aspect of Worcester, including in the world of sports. The development of the WooSox Stadium will mean great strides for the city’s future. Vitality Magazine has the latest on Worcester’s baseball legacy: from the first perfect game played in history, to current Major League players who were born and bred in the city. While the city eagerly awaits the new WooSox stadium, Worcesterites can always get their baseball fix by attending a local Worcester Bravehearts game this summer!

Past: Historic Baseball Moments in the Woo

The First Perfect Game

On June 12, 1880, Lee Richmond prepared to play for the Worcester Ruby Legs against the Cleveland Blues. It was his first full season game. After an impressive performance against the Chicago White Stockings in 1879, he’d been signed for $2,400 (about $63,059 today). The 23-year-old took to the field that day and pitched the first perfect game in Major League history to an ecstatic crowd of just under a thousand. A perfect game involves a starting pitcher (or a combination of the starting pitcher and the bullpen) giving up no hits and no walks over nine innings. Only 23 perfect games have been thrown in Major League Baseball history, with the last three in 2012: Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox on April 12; Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants on June 13; and Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners on August 15. 

The Least Attended Major League Game in History

The Ruby Legs — also knowns as the Worcester Worcesters and the Brown Stockings — enjoyed a very short-lived career after launching a massive fundraising effort to enter the National League, firing three managers in one season and lodging a complaint which resulted in the Cincinnati Reds being kicked from the National League. On September 28, 1882, the team made history again: a game against the Troy Trojans at the Worcester Driving Park Grounds was played in front of a huge attendance of six fans — the smallest crowd of any major league game in history. 

“Casey at the Bat”

In June of 1883, Ernest Lawrence Thayer published “Casey at the Bat” in The Examiner. Thayer was born in the city of Lawrence, Mass., and raised in Worcester where he wrote, according to the Baseball Almanac, “the single most famous baseball poem ever written,” which went on to be his most famous work. The Worcester Ruby Legs’ run ended because of lackluster performances against stronger teams. In the poem, “Casey at the Bat,” a baseball team also suffers an unfortunate defeat, albeit in this case because of a player’s hubris rather than outstanding circumstances.

First Curveball

Worcester is also reputedly the site of the first curveball, thrown by William Arthur “Candy” Cummings in 1867 for the Brooklyn Stars. The curveball has become synonymous with baseball, especially in the mid-90s with Red Sox reliever Tom Gordon, and today with pitcher Matt Barnes, also for the Red Sox.

Ted Williams

Also, in Worcester, Ted “The Splendid Splinter” Williams made his Red Sox debut in the iconic red and white uniform at Fitton Field at Holy Cross College during the 1937 season. Holy Cross College pitcher Mike Klarnick got an early glimpse of William’s star-studded career as he surrendered a grand slam to Williams during the game.  

Present: Local Baseball Stars

Worcester County has had many professional baseball players to its credit. Chris Colabello, Tim Collins, and Oliver Drake, are examples of talented players who were born and bred in the Woo.

Chris Colabello

Chris Colabello is a man with a tumultuous yet successful baseball career. Born in Framingham, he and his family moved to his mother’s hometown of Rimini, Italy where Colabello fell in love with the game of baseball. His father, Lou Colabello, even played the sport in Italy and represented the country at the 1984 Olympics.

After returning to Massachusetts, Colabello graduated from Milford High School and attended NCAA Division II Assumption College, where he played four seasons with the program. Colabello was known for driving runs with ease, batting .380 in his junior year with seven home runs and 44 RBIs. 

Colabello wasn’t drafted by an MLB team at the end of his college career, but that didn’t stop him. He played in the independent minor leagues for seven years with the Worcester Tornadoes. It wasn’t until 2013 that he finally got his first big break: a contract from the Minnesota Twins to play for their Double-A Team in New Britain, Connecticut. 

Colabello immediately made an impact on the team, smashing Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett’s franchise record of 26 RBIs in April 2013, earning himself a dream promotion to the major leagues. He even garnered the interest of the Korea Baseball Organization, with a $1 million offer from the LG Twins which he turned down to stay in the US. In 2016, he outdid himself, setting personal records in every category as a batter. 

However, off-the-field issues would follow him, derailing his major-league career. He tested positive for a banned substance in March 2016. Major League Baseball suspended him for 80 games. He would sign minor-league contracts with the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers before electing free agency on November 6, 2017. In May 2019, Colabello signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Tim Collins 

Tim Collins had an interesting path to the majors as well. Born in Worcester, Collins was a graduate of Worcester Technical High School where he was a master on the mound. 

He established a record of 91 wins to five defeats and ended his high school career nicely by throwing a no-hitter against Auburn High School in the district championship game. He officially began his career in 2007 with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays after being discovered by Toronto general manager J. P. Riccardi. From there, he skyrocketed to the major leagues.

Collins was traded to the Atlanta Braves on July 14, 2010 and then traded yet again to the Kansas City Royals. Pitching one inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Collins had a successful year in 2011. With one major-league season under his belt, Collins aimed for even bigger things in 2012. 

Collins made an impact for the Royals in 2012. Recording 93 strikeouts, that is his highest career total to date. Collins has also pitched for the Washington Nationals. Last year for the Nationals, he appeared in 38 games and recorded an ERA of 4.37. He also held a .264 batting average over the course of 22.2 innings. 

After another minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins — the very same team that had given Chris Colabello his first big break in 2013 — Collins returned to the major league in 2019, signing a contract with the Chicago Cubs on March 24. With three World Series appearances under his belt, Collins is now 29 years old but still has new records to set for the Cubs. 

Oliver Drake

Gardner, Massachusetts does not exactly sound like a baseball hotbed. Nevertheless, sometimes the small towns are the ones that are home to the most talent. Oliver Drake is one pitcher who managed to go from a hometown hero to a major league baseball star.

Northfield Mount Hermon School was where Drake’s baseball journey began. As his high school head coach, Dick Peller would work with Drake over the course of three seasons. Drake’s work ethic was always something that he carried with him. He did not just save it for the baseball diamond. “He was a very good two-sport athlete, which in this day and age is becoming very rare. He was well-rounded, friendly to all, and worked hard in the classroom as well as the teams he played on,” Peller said.

After concluding his high school career, Drake went on to play baseball at the United States Naval Academy. He excelled from the get-go, having a tremendous freshman season. Rather than continue at the Navy, he decided to continue his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. He began his career with the Bluefield Orioles having a successful season in 2008. His stellar performance moved him further up to the minor-league rung, and everything appeared to be in place for him to make the fast track to the major leagues. After spending 2013 and 2014, primarily in the minor leagues, he made his debut with the Baltimore Orioles on May 23, 2015.

For a time, Drake was traded from team to team ultimately setting a major-league baseball record for most teams played for in a single season. Most recently, he was picked up by the Tampa Bay Rays on January 4th where he is currently in their minor-league system with the Durham Bulls. 

Future: The WooSox Are Coming to Town

With the PawSox set to come to Worcester in the next couple of years, excitement is in the air. The team will undoubtedly miss Pawtucket, a place they have called home since 1969. However, the change will mean a new chapter of baseball milestones for Worcester. 

Ahead of the big move, I had the opportunity to speak with PawSox (and future WooSox) Vice President and General Manager Dan Rea. It is clear that the organization has a vision for the future. Baseball fans and the city of Worcester should be excited for what’s to come. 

Q: Why was Worcester such an attractive option for the PawSox to relocate to?

A: First and foremost, we were taken by a positive campaign. We received over 10,000 postcards from residents telling us to come here. We kept getting more and more each day. Once we began looking at other suitors, the grassroots support was a huge factor for us. We realized there was a vision that the city and state shared with us that could bring a lot of excitement to Worcester. We received a lot of tremendous political and corporate support from the city as well.

Q: How do you think the WooSox will impact the city of Worcester? (Economically and in terms of city identity)

A: I think we are joining a wave of optimism and momentum. I think we are joining what has been a really strong recent trend of private investment and development. We are contributing, but we are joining a bunch of other things that are contributing here. We would look to the ballpark for other sports, concerts and festivals. We are going to have an event venue that is going to bring a lot of momentum to a place that already has a ton. I’m not going to say we are going to bring anything new in terms of identity, but we can certainly add to it.

Q: What are some of the elements that fans can look forward to at the new park? Are there any unique design aspects?

A: We are in the midst of our design process right now. Some of it is still fluid. We want a ballpark that will look, and taste, and smell like Worcester. We want a ballpark that is unique to Worcester. We want a ballpark that is reminiscent of the broader city and landscape. There will be some elements of Fenway Park, but want to stay true to the city. There is a quiet, humble pride for the citizens, where they are proud of the city and tradition. There will be some elements of Fenway, but we want to keep it true to the city.

Q:  What are you personally most excited about regarding the construction of the WooSox stadium?

A: I am excited about the fact that this project is about much more than a ballpark. This ballpark is going to be an active 12-month a year venue. It is going to be a ballpark for all seasons. Concerts, food truck festivals, this will be a ballpark for all people and all perspectives. As Larry Lucchino said, “When ballparks are built by the right people, they last.”