Rookie outfielder Wilyer Abreu posted his first two-homer game for the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 4. He's wielded one of Boston's clutchest bats all season, but Abreu came through for his team, and for his family, in his biggest game of the year.
The night before the Red Sox's getaway game against the Texas Rangers, Abreu received news that his grandmother died. The outfielder was visibly emotional in the dugout and on the field, but he posted one of the best outings of his career in her honor.
Abreu fanned in his first at-bat against fearsome lefty and former Red Sox Nathan Eovaldi. Abreu's slashing just .195/.267/.293 against lefties, but Alex Cora trusted his young slugger enough to keep him in the game. He delivered his next time up.
Abreu crushed a solo homer to tie the game at two and begin a comeback for Boston. He was overcome with emotion in the dugout following the blast, and that's when the Sox discovered Abreu's loss. David Hamilton comforted his teammate, and even homered himself, but not before Abreu's second blast.
Wilyer Abreu honors his grandmother with first two-homer performance with Red Sox
"I dedicate this game to her."
— NESN (@NESN) August 4, 2024
Wilyer Abreu on dedicating today's game to his late grandmother| #RedSox pic.twitter.com/W5W3vOdvlz
He took the plate in front of Eovaldi again and delivered a three-run blast to give his team a comfortable lead. Abreu rounded the bases with tears in his eyes and pointed to the sky as he reached the end of his trot.
Jarren Duran and Hamilton also capitalized on some emotion to carry the Sox to a comeback. Before Abreu's second long ball, Duran crushed one of his own in the fifth inning — reminiscent of his All-Star MVP-winning blast from a few weeks ago.
Hamilton finished the scoring for Boston with a bomb in the eighth inning. After he consoled his teammate, Hamilton, a Texas native, homered as his family and friends looked on from the stands. The homer put a cap on an emotional day and a much-needed series win for the Sox.
Boston also posted a comeback win to open its series in Arlington, TX, and Abreu's bat was also key to that victory. He posted five hits, including a homer, and three RBI for one of the Sox's biggest performances at the plate that day.
The Red Sox's bats have been their savior lately. Their pitchers are noticeably worn from months of work, but like the reassurance Abreu received from his friends, the offense has their backs. The Red Sox's belief in each other has been palpable all season, but rarely as strongly as on Sunday in Texas.