Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu battled through high emotions and put together one of the best performances in his career in the big league. A day after the death of his grandmother in his home country of Venezuela, Abreu launched not one but two home runs during Sunday's 7-2 victory in Arlington over the Texas Rangers.
After Abreu hit his first blast to tie the game at 2-2 in the fourth inning, Abreu was seen wiping his face with a towel. His teammates tried to comfort him with Red Sox coach and former Boston catcher Jason Varitek hugging Abreu.
Abreu struck again in the sixth inning with a three-run home run to extend the Red Sox's lead to four runs. The Red Sox scored one more run after that with a David Hamilton solo homer in the eighth inning.
The 25-year-old Abreu concluded the game with a 2-for-4 line to go with four RBIs. He struck out twice, but it was his two-HR night that people will remember, especially with the high emotions he carried with him into the contest.
Emotional Wilyer Abreu lifts Red Sox against Rangers
Abreu had never hit multiple home runs in a game in his MLB career, but he finally got one in dedication to his late grandmother.
“It obviously was a difficult situation,” Abreu said via a translator following the win over Texas, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).
“I was playing for her. I dedicated this game to her. I was playing with my heart in my hand. For me to be able to go out there and perform was very special,” Abreu added.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora also explained his decision to keep Abreu in the game.
“Sometimes, you make decisions in game by the metrics,” Cora shared. “I let him hit because I was like, ‘Something good is going to happen here against the lefty.' That's life, right? We're not perfect. We try to live the good life. I think the Lord rewarded him with that one.”
So far in the 2024 MLB season, Abreu is hitting .275/.337/.519 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs across 262 at-bats.
Thanks in large part to Abreu, the Red Sox managed to win the series against the Rangers; they beat Texas in the series opener, 11-6 then lost the second leg to the tune of a 7-4 score.
Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta pitched for 4.2 innings and allowed two earned runs on two hits with five strikeouts, while rookie Cam Booser got the pitching win after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings on 14 pitches, including 11 that went for strikes.
With their latest victory, the Red Sox have improved to 59-51. They are still 6.5 games behind the American League East division-leading Baltimore Orioles but are now only 2.5 games outside the wild-card picture in the AL.
Abreu and the Red Sox will continue their road trip with a visit to Kauffman Stadium for a crucial three-game series against Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals that will kick off this Monday night. Boston will give the ball to James Paxton, while the Royals will start Brady Singer. The Royals currently occupy the third and final wild-card spot in the AL with a 63-50 record, so here is a chance for Boston to displace Kansas City in that position before traveling back to Fenway Park in Beantown.
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