On July 11, the Boston Red Sox High-A affiliate Greenville Drive played a doubleheader against the Rome Emperors. They made history in game one.
Outfielder Allan Castro started 4-for-4 with a walk and three home runs, but there was a bigger story.
A trio of Boston's left-handed pitching prospects combined for a no-hitter in the first of two seven-inning games.
Dalton Rogers started the contest. The 23-year-old went four innings and allowed no runs or hits while walking three and striking out five batters. Rogers has had a rough year, but he's had a few gems thrown in there. This start was a reminder of the promise he showed last season.
Trio of Boston Red Sox lefty prospects combine for a no-hitter in High-A
Next came Jeremy Wu-Yelland. The 25-year-old was the big talking point coming out of this game. He walked one batter and struck out three without allowing a run or a hit over two innings.
Wu-Yelland was the story of the game because of Greenville's previous no-hitter. The last time they achieved this feat was September 2, 2021, the first High-A start for Wu-Yelland. The lefty tossed the first five innings of the outing.
Injuries kept the Red Sox prospect from pitching much after that, though. He made his final appearance of that season on September 14, 2021, and didn't pitch again until 2023 in the Florida Complex League. He made his High-A return on May 22, 2024. Now he's part of history... again.
Finally, in came Zach Fogell for the seventh inning. Fogell didn't have to worry about a save — Greenville had a 10-0 lead. However, he had an even more stressful task of preserving history. The 23-year-old needed only 15 pitches to toss a perfect inning, striking out two batters. Fogell's been impressive out of the bullpen all year, so it's no surprise that he was able to finish this chapter for the Drive.
🏎️ @GreenvilleDrive no-hitter! 🏎️@RedSox prospects Dalton Rogers, Jeremy Wu-Yelland and Zach Fogell go seven innings to spin the club's first gem since 2021 -- a game that Wu-Yelland started! pic.twitter.com/1gb4TB2XkD
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 11, 2024
This was a dominant game in a lot of ways. Everyone in the Greenville lineup had at least one hit. Miguel Bleis, Castro, and Jhostynxon Garcia all hit home runs. Meanwhile, Juan Chacon made a great play in left field to preserve the no-hitter.
It's also important to note that Ronald Rosario was the catcher. Catchers play a massive role in these legendary performances but tend to get none of the recognition. Rosario's quietly having a strong season in High-A (already nearing career-highs in doubles, home runs, and RBI), and this is just another thing to add to his résumé.
The Greenville Drive has become incredibly fun to watch over the last few weeks. Breakout stars Jhostynxon Garcia and Cutter Coffey are mashing. Mikey Romero's healthy, Bleis has arrived, and Castro's getting hot again.
The pitching has kept Greenville's season afloat to this point, though, so it's not surprising that this trio of left-handed pitching prospects put themselves in the history books.