ARLINGTON, Texas — Wilyer Abreu dedicated his impressive two-home run performance to his newborn twin boys as Boston opened their season with a 5-2 victory at Texas. Abreu’s powerful display, which included a defining three-run homer in the ninth inning, came roughly eight months after his only other multi-homer game, also at the same venue, following the passing of his grandmother.
“The two home runs I hit last year were for my grandmother, but these, they’re for my twins,” shared Abreu through a translator. The emotional significance of the game was heightened for the 25-year-old outfielder, who achieved this feat merely 10 days after the birth of his sons, and after overcoming a gastrointestinal virus during spring training that caused significant weight loss.
“I knew I was going to be ready for opening day,” Abreu expressed, underscoring the dedication he showed despite the setback. In his rookie season last year, Abreu had already proven himself as a Gold Glove-winning right fielder. During the match, he was instrumental in every run Boston scored, beginning with a single that saw him score from a fielder’s choice in the third inning. His first homer arrived in the fifth off Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi, and his second—a 394-foot hit to right-center—came off Rangers reliever Luke Jackson, serving as the deciding run.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect that,” admitted Abreu. “But with the second home run, it felt like it was one for each of my sons.” Reflecting on a similar game on August 4 at Texas, following his grandmother’s death in Venezuela, Abreu was visibly emotional, managing to secure a crucial victory for the Red Sox, with a three-run shot cementing their 7-2 triumph.
In that previous game, manager Alex Cora had opted to keep Abreu in during a tight situation, and Abreu responded by winning a key showdown against a left-handed pitcher. Cora echoed that faith in the current game by keeping Abreu against left-hander Robert Garcia in the seventh, resulting in a walk and a lasting presence in the game.
When faced with right-hander Jackson in the ninth, Abreu seized the moment with his decisive hit. “A very special moment for me,” Abreu articulated, “even more so when you can kick off a season with such a substantial win.”