It took a deal of good fortune and some sound decision-making for Wilyer Abreu to stage his incredible two-home run performance Thursday in Texas.
A gastrointestinal issue that caused Abreu to lose a significant amount of weight initially put his Opening Day status in doubt, but the Red Sox outfielder ultimately was able to suit up against the Rangers. And once he was penciled into the lineup card, Abreu didn’t look back.
The 2024 Gold Glove winner crushed a game-tying solo home run off Nathan Eovaldi in the fifth inning at Globe Life Field and then broke a deadlock with a three-run blast in the ninth. The second dinger sealed a 5-2 win for Boston, but it was somewhat close to not happening.
After Kristian Campbell drew a two-out walk in the seventh, Abreu stepped up with the potential go-ahead run on and a lefty on the hill. Alex Cora easily could have pinch-hit for Abreu and had a righty bat against Robert Garcia, but the Red Sox manager stuck with his starting right fielder, who also drew a walk. While Boston didn’t push across any runs in that inning, it kept Abreu in the game and allowed him to do damage in a high-pressure moment.
However, if Campbell was able to get over to second base, it could’ve marked the end of Abreu’s day.
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“Me and Ramon (Vasquez, bench coach), we were talking about it,” Cora told reporters, per MassLive. “Men in scoring position, probably we would have hit for him. But you know what? We’ve got to let him play; we have to, (Triston) Casas and Willy. There’s going to be situations — bases loaded, one out, they bring the lefty in for (Abreu) and we’ve got Ref (Rob Refsnyder).
“But he had a good at-bat. I think his swing will play against lefties. It’s going to benefit him against righties, too. Sometimes, when you only face righties, you become too pull-happy. If you remember, two years ago, he was able to drive the ball to left center. He didn’t do it last year. He’ll play. We’ll pick and choose. Good job by him.”
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Abreu thought it was “very important” that Cora allowed him to face a southpaw late in a tie game. The 25-year-old, clearly eager to maximize his potential, also wants to hit against lefties “even more.”
As Cora said, Boston will continue to make strategic decisions based on matchups. But if Abreu keeps playing like he did Thursday, it will be tough to keep him out of games.
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Featured image via Tim Heitman/Imagn Images
