Making a pitch for the bigs – Cory Moore gets a tryout with the Boston Red Sox

Lynn’s Cory Moore had a tryout with the Boston Red Sox organization last Tuesday at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, home of the Lowell Spinners.

Moore, an all-star pitcher at Curry College, threw 30 pitches in the workout that was watched by high-level Red Sox scouts for the Northeast region.

Moore, a 22-year-old right-hander, was very pleased with his performance in the tryout.

“It went very well – they really liked my slider,” said Moore, who hit 90 mph on the radar gun. “They (Sox officials) talked to me afterwards and they wanted to get me signed to the Worcester Tornadoes for a trial period, but it was too late in the season.”

Also encouraging news for Moore was that fact that he was the only prospect with whom the Red Sox conferred following the workout. Sox officials indicated they would be keeping in touch with him in the fall.

“I’d love to get signed by the Sox and have an opportunity to play some rookie ball,” said Moore. “I’ll also probably be going to a couple of more tryouts.”

Sox officials were no doubt impressed by Moore’s size (6-foot-4), his arm strength, and his repertoire of pitches (fastball, slider, curve, and changeup).

Moore’s senior year at Curry College this spring was a spectacular one. He compiled a 6-0 record with 1.79 earned run average to earn the Commonwealth Coast Conference pitcher of the year award and All-CCC honors for the second time.

Curry won the conference title and had the No. 1 seed for the post-season tournament, but was ousted.

Moore concluded his collegiate baseball career by pitching one inning for the Division 2-3 team in the rain-shortened New England College Baseball All-Star Game at Fenway Park. Moored mowed down the Division 1 team’s 4-5-6 hitters from Central Connecticut, Boston College, and Maine on a groundout and two strikeouts in the second inning. The game was called after three innings due to rain.

“I threw mostly fastballs with a couple of sliders,” said Moore. “It was a dream come true being out there – growing up and watching the Sox and just being able to step on that mound at Fenway. Not many people get to do that.”

Moore also had the opportunity to play college baseball with his brother, Kyle.

"I played baseball with my younger brother, Kyle Moore, for the past two seasons," said Moore. "He is going into his junior year and also a pitcher. It was a great privilege to play two seasons with my brother and to get to spend my final year of college ball with him next to me, I couldnt ask for anything more."

Cory Moore burst on the local baseball scene as a standout on the 2000 East Lynn Little League All-Star team that advanced to the state finals at Harry Ball Field in Beverly. East Lynn emerged undefeated from the winner’s bracket only to be stunned by Pittsfield twice (2-0, 6-0) in the finals. Chris Carroll and David Kolozetski were two of his teammates on that squad.

“We had a day off in between [the winner’s bracket final and the finals] and I think we lost some of our momentum,” recalled Moore, whose team had rolled through the districts and the sectionals.

Interestingly, it was the first year that the state Little League finals had gone to a double-elimination tournament. Had the tournament remained single elimination, Moore and the East Lynn team would have advanced to the Northeast Regionals, the last stop before Williamsport.

Moore, who is working this summer for the Lynn Housing Authority, said he was grateful to his uncle, Scott McDaniel, for his support and guidance. McDaniel is the former president of the Wyoma Little League.

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