State champs, Big Papi, a living basketball legend and a win highlight stellar Opening Day for WooSox

WORCESTER — There is something about Opening Day in baseball that makes all the sports galaxies align, and so it was here Friday afternoon as the Worcester Red Sox commenced their third season at Polar Park.

The Triple-A baseball team honored a basketball team and a basketball legend before the game. As the WooSox and Syracuse Mets prepared to begin the 2023 season, there in the tunnels below the stands was the Division 1 state champion Worcester North High basketball team stepping aside so NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy could make his way to the field.

The high school champions joined Cousy momentarily, then collaborated with Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz to throw out a dozen or so first balls.

Only on Opening Day.

The Polar Bears seemed, well, a little unimpressed.

“They’re all very excited, but they’re just high school kids,” coach Al Pettway said. “They really don’t quite understand the magnitude of all of this. Look at them — you can see they’re all just acting like kids over there. Five or ten years from now, they’ll understand.”

Cousy, whose biggest fan is probably WooSox principal owner Larry Lucchino, transcends the generations.

“Bob Cousy was a big deal,” Pettway said. “They don’t really know him, but they heard he was a legend. Some of them had pictures taken with him. They weren’t even born when he was playing, but they wanted pictures with him.”

Not only was it a fun day at the ballpark, it was successful one for the WooSox. They beat the Syracuse Mets, 11-2, as Boston rehabber Garrett Whitlock had a strong start, and teammates David Hamilton, Greg Allen and Daniel Palka all hit home runs.

The crowd was 7,941 for an event that began in sunny March weather and ended in cold rain, with the postgame fireworks being called off.

That was disappointing, but the WooSox had a pretty explosive day at the plate to compensate.

Whitlock gave up just one run in four innings but did not got the decision. He was an inning short of being eligible for the win — an ancient and increasingly irrelevant rule.

The triumph improved Worcester’s record on Opening Day to 2-1. The WooSox are 3-0 in home openers.

Allen also had a double, while Hamilton had three hits and a stolen base. Five Worcester relievers worked one inning each after Whitlock departed, and they held Syracuse to one run. The first one on the scene, Jake Faria, got the win.

Familiar faces make appearances

As always, the crowd had a substantial representation of prominent people, both in and out of baseball. The list was populated by names like Ortiz; former Red Sox standouts Tommy Harper and Oil Can Boyd; former local major leaguers Chris Colabello and Ryan O’Rourke; ex-Boston manager Joe Morgan; veteran Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione; and Cousy.

Have you seen my helmet?

Allen was in the starting lineup in left field and had a great WooSox debut, but had to wonder before the game just how long his career in Worcester would last. Allen headed to the clubhouse after batting practice and said to one of the clubhouse attendants, “Hey, my batting helmet isn’t out there with everybody else’s. Should I be worried?”

Allen’s helmet appeared, and he was in the lineup as planned.

Going yard in Polar Park debuts

Hamilton, Allen and Palka joined the list of players to hit home runs in their WooSox debuts. It was also Hamilton’s Triple-A debut. Palka hit nine career home runs off Worcester pitching before joining the WooSox. That includes six last year, but all six of those came in Syracuse when he was with the Mets.

Duran no stranger to Opening Day

Worcester’s starting lineup was headed by Jarren Duran, who led off and played center field. He was the only WooSox player who has been in all three Opening Day lineups. Duran was one of seven WooSox starters with major league experience. The others were first baseman Bobby Dalbec, designated hitter Palka, Allen, third baseman Niko Goodrum, catcher Jorge Alfaro and Whitlock.

Kantor breaks in new organ

Of all the Polar Park improvements the most obvious is the addition of an organ, the best musical instrument in any sports venue. Longtime Fenway Park keyboardist Josh Kantor was the featured organist and was stationed among the fans in the DCU Club.

—Contact Bill Ballou at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillBallouTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: WooSox celebrate Big Papi, the Cooz, North High champs and a victory