Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu had a two home run night, but it was one of the most unique combinations ever as he did something that hadn’t been done in an MLB game in nearly 67 years.
Abreu had an inside-the-park home run against the Cincinnati Reds before he hit a typical homer later in the contest − in grand fashion.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Abreu took Joe La Sorsa’s pitch to center field in the deep corner of Fenway Park. The ball bounced off the wall and took a long bounce along the warning track. Abreu turned on the jets after the wild ricochet, with no Reds player in the vicinity of the ball. The ball was eventually grabbed, but by the time it got to Elly De La Cruz in the shallow part of the outfield, Abreu was sliding home for the inside-the-park homer.
It was the first inside-the-park homer for a Red Sox player at Fenway Park since Jacoby Ellsbury had one on Sept. 19, 2011.
Abreu had another big moment in the bottom of the eighth. With the bases loaded, he hit a moonshot into the Red Sox bullpen for a grand slam.
Wilyer Abreu’s historic home run day
Abreu became the sixth MLB player to hit an inside-the-park home run and grand slam in the same game, according to MLB’s Sarah Langs, citing the Elias Sports Bureau. It’s the first time it’s been done since Roger Maris accomplished the feat on Aug. 3, 1958.
Abreu’s grand slam capped off a 13-6 win over Cincinnati for Boston. He had two home runs and five RBIs on the night.
