WORCESTER — Seated on the grass just outside the visitor’s dugout Friday night, Pat Gallagher watched with family and friends as fireworks popped above Polar Park. Less than 30 minutes earlier, the Leominster native wrapped up a near lights-out performance on the mound for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in a 6-2 win over the Worcester Red Sox. “Knowing I was going to pitch today definitely puts little butterflies in your stomach,” Gallagher told the T&G. “But I was really happy that I was able to kind of set that aside, attack hitters, get ahead of guys and get a couple strikeouts in there.
“But my goal is just to put the team in a good position to win the game, and I happened to have a good performance on top of that. But overall I felt good, felt solid. I was just happy that I got to share that moment with my family.” After making his Polar Park debut on June 4, the local pitcher put on a show in his second act against the WooSox Friday. Gallagher came into the game in the bottom of the fifth inning and was dominant on the bump. The 26-year-old righty finished with a stat line of: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB and 6 strikeouts.
Pat Gallagher's final stat line: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB and 6 K. The Leominster native picked up the win in Triple-A Buffalo's 6-2 victory over the WooSox. https://t.co/gplwSeYS5Y — Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) August 15, 2026
The victory was his fourth of the season with the Bisons. “This is probably the most adrenaline, or nerves, I’ve felt in a long time,” Gallagher said. “Just being in front of my family, my friends, like people that have supported me through this journey all along. “What a great experience. That’s everything right there. That’s the reason I play the game.” The last time Gallagher won a game in his home state was when he played for the Westfield Starfires in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. The previous time before that: The Leominster Blue Devils. It’s been a whirlwind journey in baseball for the 2019 Leominster grad. One that found him watching fireworks at Polar Park with family and friends — just 25 miles from his home — after picking up a win on the mound against the Worcester Red Sox.
Leominster’s Pat Gallagher enjoys fireworks with family and friends at Polar Park after picking up the win as a pitcher for Triple-A Buffalo against the WooSox. pic.twitter.com/MonAIgiOH6 — Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) August 15, 2026
“It’s a full circle moment once again," said Gallagher, who will sleep in his own bed Friday night. “I’m just blessed beyond measure just to be able to play on this field. I looked at this field when I was younger, I was like, ‘Man, that’d be so cool to play here.’ And I never thought I’d actually get here. “So, to be able to share that with everybody, that’s like the biggest thing I take away.” —Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Leominster's Pat Gallagher picks up a win pitching at Polar Park