For a few seconds Saturday night, Wilyer Abreu stood and watched.
The Boston Red Sox outfielder admired the ball as it sailed deep into the Miami night before tossing his bat skyward and beginning an emotional trot around the bases. Around him, the Venezuelan dugout erupted.
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It was the kind of moment the World Baseball Classic was built for – and one that could carry real momentum into Abreu’s 2026 season in Boston.
Facing defending champion Japan in a tense quarterfinal matchup at loanDepot Park, Abreu delivered the biggest swing of the night.
With Venezuela trailing in the sixth inning, the right fielder crushed a 409-foot, three-run home run off Japanese starter Hiromi Itoh to flip the game and spark an 8-5 victory that sent Venezuela to its first WBC semifinal in 17 years.
“The feeling is something incredible,” Abreu said postgame. “It’s very difficult to describe. It was one of the best moments of my life.”
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Moments like that are exactly why players across the league have embraced the tournament.
The energy inside the ballpark – fueled by thousands of Venezuelan fans banging drums and waving flags – created a playoff-like atmosphere weeks before the major league season gets underway.
For Abreu, it was also another reminder of the type of impact he’s capable of making at the plate.
Through five WBC games, the two-time Gold Glove winner is hitting .294 with a .381 on-base percentage and 6 RBI. The numbers are solid, but the bigger takeaway is the stage on which they’ve come.
Delivering a game-changing swing against one of the tournament’s powerhouse teams offers the type of confidence boost that can carry over into the regular season. That matters for a Red Sox team that hopes Abreu is ready for a larger offensive role in 2026.
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Over the past two seasons, Boston has often deployed him in a platoon role, largely protecting him from left-handed pitching. But the 26-year-old has steadily developed into one of the more intriguing young hitters in the lineup.
Abreu already owns a career 115 wRC+, including a 125 mark against right-handed pitching. He also launched 22 home runs last season – and was on pace to approach 30 before injuries slowed him down.
If he can build on that power while becoming more comfortable against left-handed pitching, the Red Sox may finally have the middle-of-the-order bat they’ve quietly been developing.
And if Saturday’s swing is any indication, Abreu might already be carrying that momentum with him back to Boston.
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