Worcester, Mass. – Chris Cell struck out five Triple-A batsmen before being knocked out for two in the fourth inning on Wednesday night, his final rehabilitation debut before returning to the Boston rotation.
The Yankees Farm team, pitching for the Worcester Red Sox against the Scranton / Wilkes-Barre Railroads, allowed the Cells to hit three hits and one run on five runs. He loaded the base on three hits in the fourth – two of them infield singles – and then knocked out hitter Armando Alvarez with a 96 mph fast ball for the second, his 65th pitch in the game.
The limit was supposed to be for the 33-year-old left-handed player, who broke the ribbon while working on his own during a major league lockdown. But when pitching coach Paul Abbott went out to talk to the cell, he left alone.
9 hitter David Fritas counted 3-2 and then took a pitch that was buoyant for the spectators who were sold out in anticipation of the strikeout. But plate umpire Sam Birch remained silent, the runner equalized 1-1 in the third and Cell was frustrated and punched him in the air.
Manager Chad Tracy headed to the mound and left for the sales standing ovation. As he left, he rolled his gloves on the birch in a friendly manner.
Since the end of the 2019 season, Cell has made just 42 2/3 innings for the Red Sox. He missed a 2020 recovery from Tommy John’s surgery, then went 5-1 last year with an ERA of 3.16.