Wilyer Abreu turned a soggy Fenway Park into a full-on party on Saturday, belting a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Boston Red Sox a 7-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays and stretch their winning streak to 12 games. The shot, Abreu’s second homer of the day, flipped a one-run deficit into a one-run lead and had the rain-soaked crowd roaring. The victory pushed Boston to 49-48, marking the team’s first time above .500 this season.
According to The Boston Globe, the game-changing seventh started when Andruw Monasterio ripped a double to left, and a throwing error helped set Boston up to cash in. The four-run frame ended with Abreu’s two-out blast off Garrett Cleavinger, a swing that instantly rewrote what had been a back-and-forth afternoon. The Globe reports that Abreu punctuated the moment by pounding his chest three times and screaming toward the dugout as he circled the bases, a release that matched the stakes of the inning and ultimately provided the margin Boston needed to lock it down.
Abreu’s Big Day and Fenway Fireworks
Abreu did more than just deliver in the clutch; he stacked multiple homers on the day and came through in the biggest spot, underscoring how central he has been to Boston’s recent heater. MLB.com captured both the swings and the post-homer celebration, highlighting a power surge from the right fielder that has turned into a recurring storyline over the past week. The thunder from Abreu’s bat, paired with the crowd’s eruption and his emotional trot around the bases, had the feel of a season-defining jolt for an offense that has been uneven at times.
Shaky Starts, Steady Finish
The Sox got just enough pitching to make that outburst stand up. Starter Patrick Sandoval labored through five innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits, while Tampa Bay starter Ian Seymour lasted only three innings and allowed three runs. Per The Boston Globe, Aroldis Chapman slammed the door with a scoreless ninth, securing his 388th career save and moving within two of Dennis Eckersley on the all-time list. Field Level Media also pointed out that Seymour’s outing came with a personal twist, as the left-hander returned to his home turf; he grew up in Westborough and played at Saint John’s in Shrewsbury, adding a local subplot to the matchup.
Streaking Sox and the Road Ahead
Boston’s 12-game surge is the longest roll the club has enjoyed in the past decade and has flipped the tone around a season that felt wobbly earlier in July. The streak has given the Sox real momentum going into a rugged run of AL East battles and a busy stretch before the trade deadline. MLB.com noted that this is Boston’s longest winning streak since 2016, and the club will try to bottle both the energy and the results as it heads into next week.
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