Wilyer Abreu took an Emmet Sheehan pitch and sent it 431 feet in the third inning at Dodger Stadium. The home run — part of a back-to-back with Ceddanne Rafaela — was the go-ahead hit that put Boston in front for good, sealing a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers and closing out what is now the best month in Red Sox franchise history. Abreu has 17 home runs in 2026 and sits at the center of a run that has Boston among the hottest teams in baseball.
Three Home Runs in Seven Pitches: The Third Inning Nobody in LA Saw Coming
August 2 was a collective power display. In the third inning, Boston hit three consecutive home runs on just seven pitches: Rafaela first, then Abreu, then Masataka Yoshida. Sheehan never finished the inning. By the final out, the Red Sox had launched four home runs — Rafaela, Abreu, Yoshida, and Jarren Duran — in an 8-4 victory that completed a perfect series.
What makes Abreu’s homer matter beyond the box score: it was the go-ahead hit against the team with the best record in the National League at the time. The Dodgers were 69-43 entering the series. Sweeping them in their own building carries a weight the final score alone doesn’t capture.
Abreu’s Statcast numbers this season back up what the eye test suggests. His average exit velocity sits at 89.8 mph, his Hard Hit% at 41.8%, and his Barrel% at 12.3% — figures that explain why his OBP and slugging hold up even when results don’t always fall his way.
21-4 in July: The Red Sox Streak That’s Already Franchise History
Abreu’s homer doesn’t exist in a vacuum — it lives inside the most remarkable Red Sox run in decades. Boston closed July 2026 at 21-4, the best winning percentage (.840) in any full calendar month in franchise history. Since June 25, the team has gone 28-5 and strung together 14 straight wins against opponents with winning records.
In that context, Abreu is a key piece — but not the only one. Rafaela went 7-for-14 with four home runs in the Dodgers series, and Duran is putting up Silver Slugger-caliber numbers. This Boston lineup doesn’t need one hero. It punishes any pitcher who doesn’t execute perfectly.
Worth noting: Abreu hit just .077 (3-for-39) over a 10-game stretch after a four-homer explosion against Tampa Bay in mid-July. That he delivered the biggest hit of the Dodgers series right after that slump says something real about how he responds when things aren’t going his way.
A Two-Way Player Venezuela Keeps Watching
Wilyer David Abreu was born on June 24, 1999, in Maracaibo — the same city that produced Carlos ‘CarGo’ González. He’s 27, bats left-handed, and is one of the rare active MLB players who combines genuine offensive production with elite defensive recognition: he won the Gold Glove in right field in both 2024 and 2025.
His full 2025 season finished at .247/.317/.469 with 22 home runs, 69 RBI, and a .786 OPS in 115 games. A Statcast xwOBA of .355 and xSLG of .475 confirmed the production was built on quality contact, not BABIP luck.
With 45 career home runs and 17 already in 2026, Abreu is on pace to set a new personal best for power in a single season. When that kind of talent hits a 431-foot shot to sweep the Dodgers in August, the story tells itself.
