Some Red Sox owners poised to purchase PawSox

McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I.

Part of the Red Sox ownership group will purchase the Triple A Pawtucket Red Sox, which for years was owned by Ben Mondor and his wife Madeleine, a major league source disclosed Thursday. Ben Mondor died in 2010.

The sale price is not yet known, nor are the names of the owners purchasing the storied minor league franchise.

The PawSox have been run by president Mike Tamburro, who has been with the franchise since 1977, along with vice president and general manager Lou Schwechheimer, who has been with the organization since 1979.

The PawSox, who play at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I., and won the International League championship this season, have been a model for minor league franchises around the country.

Tamburro would not comment on the proposed sale, and several Red Sox executives contacted, including Larry Lucchino and Sam Kennedy, also declined to comment.

The PawSox have been at McCoy since 1970, when they were a Double A team in the Eastern League. But the Double A team moved to Bristol, Conn., and the PawSox became Boston’s Triple A affiliate and flourished under the Mondor ownership beginning in 1977.

Mondor and the state of Rhode Island poured in millions of dollars to revitalize McCoy over the years and created one of the most fan-friendly minor league venues in the country.

During Mondor’s ownership, the longest game in professional baseball history — a 33-inning affair between Pawtucket and Rochester, the Orioles’ Triple A affiliate — started April 18, 1981, and was suspended at 4:07 a.m. in the 32d inning.

The game resumed and ended June 23d when Dave Koza drove in Marty Barrett with the winning run in a 3-2 PawSox victory. The game featured Hall of Famers Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr.

The PawSox have provided entry to the majors for hundreds of players. The Red Sox have always enjoyed the convenience of having their Triple A franchise just an hour away, leading to quick access when moves need to be made.

It’s not known whether the current PawSox front office will stay intact or whether the Red Sox ownership will bring in its own people to run the daily operations.

McCoy Stadium seats 10,031 fans, almost double the capacity of the stadium when Mondor bought it.

The PawSox have won the International League championship in two of the past three seasons. This season, they lost the Triple A national championship game to the Omaha Storm Chasers.