Wilyer Abreu homers twice leading the Red Sox to Opening Day victory

Wilyer Abreu played in just six Grapefruit League games this spring, but that didn’t stop the second-year outfielder from playing the hero in the Red Sox’ 5-2 win over the Rangers on Opening Day.

Abreu went 3-for-3 — including two homers — leading Boston’s offense. The Sox’ right fielder led off the third inning with a single and then hit a game-tying 415-foot solo blast off Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi in the fifth inning.

In the ninth, following a Trevor Story walk and Kristian Campbell’s first big league hit that ricocheted off the glove of third baseman Josh Jung into left field, Abreu obliterated a slider from Luke Jackson and launched it into the Rangers’ bullpen. The homer broke a 2-2 tie and was the eventual game-winner.

“A very special moment for me,” Abreu said via a translator. “Even better when you can start the season with a win like this.”

The last time Abreu hit two homers in a game, it was also at Globe Life Field on the same day his grandmother passed away. This time, Abreu dedicated the homers to his two newborn twins, Noah and Noe. Abreu’s wife, Kelly, gave birth to the twin boys 10 days ago.

“The two that I hit last year were for my grandmother,” Abreu said via interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez. “These two were for my twins.”

“He’s such a good player,” Alex Cora said. “Dynamic. He had a big one here last year. Big game when his grandmother passed away. He hit two (home runs) for the twins. Can’t just go one. For the twins, you’ve got to go two.”

Abreu’s breakout game comes on the heels of his 1-for-20 performance in the spring. The left-handed hitter missed a chunk of the spring due to battling a gastrointestinal issue that put his status for Opening Day in question.

“I feel very good,” Abreu said after the game through the translator. “I never thought the virus or the weight loss was going to be an issue to start the year.”

CROCHET’S OK DEBUT

The Red Sox also debuted their new ace, left-hander Garrett Crochet, who was just ok, pitching well enough to help keep his offense in the game. He struggled with his command early on, walking two of the first five batters he faced, forcing him into some longer innings.

The southpaw served up a double and then an RBI single to Kevin Pillar in the second inning and then settled into the game.

“I dug myself a hole with the pitch count early,” Crochet said. “Later in the game, I just started trusting the defense and trusting everybody other than myself.”

Crochet allowed two runs on five hits over five innings while walking two and striking out four.

Following the Pillar double, Crochet retired the next eight hitters before allowing another run on a single and an RBI double to Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka in the fourth.

The lefty’s fastball averaged 96.4 mph, according to Baseball Savant, and he drew 14 whiffs, nine of them coming on his cutter. He threw 88 pitches in total, 61 for strikes.

“He was good, a lot of cutters, velo was ok, I think he found his fastball halfway through the outing,” Cora said. “Of course he wanted to keep going, but we’re in the business of taking care of him.”

“It was kind of a grinder day from the start,” Crochet said. “I felt like I struggled with consistent execution, maybe took a few too many shots in the first couple innings trying to get swing and miss, and kind of dug myself into a hole pitch count early, but later in the game started trusting the defense and trusting everyone other than myself and started trying to fill up the zone as best I could.”

CAMPBELL COLLECTS FIRST BIG LEAGUE HIT

When Campbell walked into the visitors clubhouse prior to the game, he looked into his locker and saw his jersey hanging there with his last name on it. All his hard work had culminated; he was now a Major Leaguer, making his debut, batted sixth, and played second base for the Red Sox.

“My eyes lit up,” Campbell said to reporters. “I was like, ‘Oh shoot, it’s my name on the back of a Red Sox uniform with a number and everything!'”

After leaving Georgia Tech less than two years ago, Campbell excelled in the Red Sox' system last season, soaring to become one of the game's top prospects.

It took a few innings, but Campbell was able to put a powerful swing on the ball, sizzling a line shot off the third baseman’s glove that kicked into left field, helping to set up Abreu’s heroics in the ninth inning.

Campbell would finish the day 1-for-3 and played a clean game at second base.

“It’s the big leagues, man; it’s not easy to do it. He was nervous. He put a good at-bat with the walk, and the last one he hit it hard,” said Alex Cora. “Overall it was a good one, and we won, so everyone’s happy.”

Halfway through camp, the prospect of Campbell making the Opening Day roster appeared improbable. He struggled at the plate over the course of the first few weeks until he started to get back on track.

“We don’t know if he’s ready,” Cora said. “But we do believe his athleticism, controlling the strike zone, they’re going to play here.”

“You know you’re going to hit; it’s just a matter of time,” Campbell said. “I’ve been working my whole life for this moment. It’s not really about the last six or seven weeks; it’s about the last 15 years.”

The rookie got the news he was going to make the Opening Day roster on Sunday before the team departed for Monterrey, Mexico, giving his parents, siblings, and girlfriend enough time to make the trip from Georgia to watch his first big league game.

Campbell said that, despite being nervous, he didn’t have any issues sleeping the night before and tried to follow the lead of his teammates and take in the moments of his first Major League game.

At 22 years, 272 days old, Campbell became the youngest Red Sox player to make their MLB debut in the Opening Day starting lineup since Joe Lahoud in 1968 (20 years, 363 days).

BULLPEN WAS IMPRESSIVE

Once the Rangers were able to force Crochet from the game, the Sox bullpen was solid. Garrett Whitlock, Aroldis Chapman, and Justin Slaten retired 12 of the 14 batters they faced.

In the ninth inning, Slaten, not Chapman, decisively shut out the Rangers with a clean 1-2-3 inning. Cora opted to have Chapman pitch the eighth inning and face slugger Corey Seager to preserve the 2-2 tie.

It worked out; Chapman tossed a scoreless frame.

Cora said this week that Chapman could see time in the eighth inning for the exact moment he faced on Thursday.

“I think Chappy has been amazing,” Cora told reporters in Monterrey, Mexico, on when the lefty could pitch. “But if Corey Seager leads off the eighth, he could be used in the eighth. And there’s certain times he’s gonna pitch the eighth, but most often, he’ll pitch the ninth inning.”

Whitlock made his first relief appearance since 2023 and looked like the dominant reliever he was in the past. Fresh off season-ending elbow surgery, the righty came in relief for Crochet in the sixth and was able to work around one hit over two scoreless frames. Led by his nasty sinker, Whitlock threw 15 of his 23 pitches for strikes.

BREGMAN AND DEVERS 

In his Red Sox debut, Alex Bregman went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He made a couple of excellent plays over at third base and had a chance to drive in the go-ahead run in the eighth with Jarren Duran on third base.

Former Red Sox righty Chris Martin was able to force him to line out to right field on the first pitch.

Similar to Abreu, Rafael Devers saw limited Grapefruit League action, getting just 15 plate appearances. He looked like he could have used a handful more of at-bats in Florida.

The slugger struck out swinging three times against Eovaldi, whiffing a total of six times, finishing 0-for-4 on the afternoon. The Red Sox' top four hitters accounted for an anemic 1-for-16 day at the plate.