Mourning grandmother, Wilyer hits 2 HRs: 'I was playing for her'

ARLINGTON -- With a heavy heart and a big bat, Wilyer Abreu stole the show for the Red Sox in a big getaway day performance on Sunday against the Rangers, mashing a pair of homers to lead his team to a 7-2 victory in the rubber match of a three-game series at Globe Life Field.

Mourning the loss of his grandmother -- which he learned about after Saturday’s defeat -- Abreu dedicated Sunday to her.

And what a dedication it was, as Abreu drove in four runs in the first multi-homer game of his career.

“I was playing for her,” Abreu said. “I dedicated this game to her and I was playing with my heart in my hands. So for me to be able to go out there and perform, it was very special.”

It first became clear that Abreu was going through something off the field when he unloaded for his first homer of the day, a solo shot to left-center against Nathan Eovaldi in the top of the fourth to tie the game.

As Abreu got back to the dugout, he started to cry. At that point, he was consoled by his teammates and coaches.

When Abreu went out to right field in the bottom of the fourth, his eyes were welled up.

“I felt happy for the game but sad at the same time for what just happened,” said Abreu.

This was one of those occasions where it is evident that a baseball clubhouse can transform into a family.

“I think in these situations, just focusing on the game and doing what he was able to do is incredible and hats off to him,” said Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta. “I'm very sorry about that loss and he has a room full of his family in here as well, and we're always going to be there for him, but we got the best of him today and it was just incredible to watch and it’s just a special moment in baseball.”

The 25-year-old Abreu was heartened by the support he received in the dugout.

“We’re a family and they showed that today,” Abreu said. “They showed that I can rely on them and they know that they can rely on me as well and so forth. So it's very nice for me to count on them as a family and to have that support.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora showed support in a different way in the sixth inning. Perhaps no manager in baseball is more faithful to lefty-righty matchups than Cora. And for most of the season, he has called on a right-handed hitter to hit for Abreu in the latter part of games against a lefty reliever.

But with lefty reliever Walter Pennington in and runners on second and third with nobody out, Cora decided to let it fly with Abreu.

And on a 3-1 slider, Abreu was the one who let it fly, mashing a three-run homer -- his first in 44 plate appearances against lefties this season and the first against a lefty in his MLB career. The game-breaking hit gave the Red Sox a 6-2 lead in a game they once trailed 2-0.

“God is good,” said Cora. “And, sometimes you make decisions in the game by the metrics. I’ll tell you right now, I let him hit because I was like, ‘Something good is going to happen here against a lefty.’ That's life. We're believers and we're not perfect. And we try to live the good life. And the Lord kind of rewarded him.”

“Grateful,” said Abreu. “Grateful for the confidence that he had in me for that at-bat and with everything that happened. He knew what happened before the [at-bat], so for him to have the confidence in me to be able to deliver was huge.”

Abreu is one of several rookies making a significant impact for the surprising ‘24 Red Sox.

This performance boosted Abreu’s OPS to .856, easily the best in the Majors for qualified rookies. He has also played a tremendous right field while running the bases well.

But on Sunday, he was just a human being trying to do his job in the wake of a big personal loss.

“It means a lot to be able to be a big leaguer and that she saw me become a big leaguer to fulfill my dreams,” Abreu said. “So for me to know that she was able to enjoy that part is obviously very important.”