The Boston Red Sox trailed by three runs in the seventh inning on Saturday. Rain had been falling at Fenway all afternoon. Patrick Sandoval had surrendered five runs over five innings in his second start back from a lengthy injury absence. The Tampa Bay Rays had tacked on a solo homer in the top of the seventh to push the lead to three.
Everything pointed toward the streak ending at 11. The deficit was the largest Boston had faced during the entire run.
Then the bottom of the seventh happened, and one player turned the entire game on its head.
Abreu Delivers the Biggest Swing of the Streak
Wilyer Abreu stepped to the plate with two outs, a runner on, and the Red Sox trailing by one after a rally had already chipped away at the deficit. Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger opened the at-bat with three straight balls before Abreu battled to a full count.
On the sixth pitch, he crushed a two-run homer 435 feet to right-center, clearing the Red Sox bullpen and sending the crowd into a roar. Abreu slammed his chest and turned toward the dugout, shouting to his teammates in Spanish. The moment captured everything about what this team has become over the last three weeks.
“It’s fun to play right now,” Abreu said. “We love playing here… I love this crowd… this is amazing playing here.”
The go-ahead blast was his second homer of the day. He had already taken Rays starter Ian Seymour deep in the third for a solo shot to center. Two homers on Saturday. Two homers on Friday night. Four long balls across two games.
That made him the first Red Sox player with back-to-back multi-homer games since Mookie Betts accomplished the feat in 2018.
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 18: Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after hitting the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on July 18, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
How the Red Sox Rallied From Three Down
The comeback started before Abreu’s heroics. Andruw Monasterio led off the seventh with a double. Jarren Duran reached on a throwing error by Rays first baseman Ryan Vilade. Masataka Yoshida came off the bench and drove in a run on a groundout.
Two outs later, the rally looked finished. Then Ceddanne Rafaela lined a double off the Green Monster to pull Boston within one. The hit came on a two-strike count in a spot where most at-bats die quietly. His did not.
That set the stage for Abreu.
The Red Sox had been 0-34 this season in games where they trailed by three or more runs. Saturday changed that. Aroldis Chapman navigated the ninth inning, walking two batters and putting the tying run in scoring position before inducing a weak groundout to close it. Another Red Sox win.
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 18: Andruw Monasterio #32, Ceddanne Rafaela #3, Wilyer Abreu #52 and Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox react after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on July 18, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Red Sox
Twelve straight wins. A 49-48 record. Above .500 for the first time in what feels like forever, and sitting in the final AL wild-card spot with the trade deadline approaching.
Four homers in two games, franchise history alongside Mookie Betts, and a moment in the seventh inning that Fenway will not forget anytime soon. This one belonged to Abreu.
Something has shifted. Boston is riding it.
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