Red Sox reactions: Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela lead blowout win, first 10-run Fenway game of ‘26

2026-06-13 · Yahoo Sports

BOSTON — Instant reactions to the Red Sox (28-39) returning to Fenway with an offensive outburst and a blowout 10-1 win over the Rangers on a steamy Friday night:

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1) After a brutal road trip in which the season’s vibes seemed to bottom out, the Red Sox did something they haven’t done very often at Fenway and played a complete game en route to an easy victory. An early Rangers run mattered little as Boston improved to 11-21 at home (and 8-28 when the opponent scores first).

The Red Sox set a new season-high for runs in a game at Fenway (10) after previously capping out at eight (three times). It was their first double-digit output at Fenway since September 2.

Nine of Boston’s hits were of the extra-base variety (six doubles, three homers), which seemed like a lot considering how cold the bats have been at Fenway all season. It was their second consecutive three-homer game, marking the first time they’ve done that since August of last season.

2) In a game in which most of the lineup hit, it was two outfielders — Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu — who led the way. Both players had two doubles, a (late) homer and three RBIs.

Both had their best games of the month. Abreu entered the night hitting just .194 with a .535 OPS in 33 June plate appearances but looked like the early-season version of himself, sandwiching a seventh-inning homer to deep center around two doubles. Rafaela had been chasing more lately but still getting hits (.313 in June) and homered for the second straight game.

3) Sonny Gray’s night was very reminiscent of his outing two starts ago in Cleveland, when he was hit around in the first inning, then settled in to be utterly dominant the rest of the day. Gray allowed singles to three of the first four Rangers he faced as Texas opened up a 1-0 lead, then settled in to retire the next 14 batters (including six strikeouts) before Joc Pederson led off the sixth with a single.

Gray finished with his third quality start in a row, allowing just one run and five hits in six innings. He struck out seven and didn’t issue a walk.

4) A team that has struggled to hit at Fenway all year used the ballpark to its advantage in a four-run fifth that broke the game open. Facing Jack Leiter, three Sox hitters — Mickey Gasper, Rafaela and Abreu — used the Green Monster to hit doubles, with Gasper and Abreu lifting high opposite-field shots in that direction and Rafaela smoking a liner off the wall.

Boston turned a 2-1 lead into a 6-1 advantage thanks to Rafaela (RBI double), Abreu (RBI double), Willson Contreras (hard hit ball to third that resulted in a run-scoring throwing error) and a Caleb Durbin sacrifice fly.

5) Contreras, as he has all season, provided some pop in the first. After Abreu tied the game 1-1 on a sacrifice fly down the left field line, Contreras jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Leiter and barely cleared the Monster for his 14th blast of the year. The Red Sox led from there.

Contreras joined Abreu and Rafaela with three hits as the top of Boston’s lineup did plenty of damage. In a three-run eighth against Luis Curvelo, Contreras’ double (on a misplay by left fielder Wyatt Langford, who had a brutal night) made it a nine-run advantage.

6) Boston’s big inning in the fifth allowed Chad Tracy to lift Gray earlier than he normally would have. The veteran was at 88 pitches through six innings when Tracy went to Tyron Guerrero, who pitched a 1-2-3 inning and his sixth straight scoreless appearance.

7) Gasper’s debut in the leadoff spot was largely successful. With his team losing as he stepped to the plate in the first, he worked a walk to put some pressure on Leiter. He then led off the fifth with the two-bagger that started that rally.

8) Rafaela’s two doubles came in very different forms. In the third, he blooped a well-placed 81.6 mph cue shot into right field and it went into the stands for a ground rule double. His fifth-inning hit went 100.2 mph off the bat. The homer was the icing on the cake — and another laser — as it left the bat at 96.8 mph.

9) Remember Cal Quantrill from that ugly scene at Coors Field two years ago? He’s with the Rangers now and drilled Connor Wong with a first-pitch fastball in the seventh. It was a case where you had to wonder about intent considering Quantrill’s history with the Red Sox. Later, he drilled Contreras, who takes his fair share of pitches to the shoulder. The first baseman didn’t look thrilled — and seemed to signal to the home dugout that they needed to be aware Quantrill had plunked two Sox.

10) Contreras briefly seemed to injure himself in the fifth when he came up lame running from first to second on Josh Jung’s throwing error. He spent a minute stretching out his hamstring as Tracy and two trainers checked him out on the field. Contreras chugged some water and stayed in the game, so it may have been a cramp.

11) With another win this weekend, the Red Sox can do something they haven’t done since April 8: win a series at home. That set, in which Boston took two of three from Milwaukee, remains the club’s lone home series win in 10 tries so far (1-8-1).

12) Saturday’s middle game of the series will serve as a battle of former National League East stars as lefty Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.18 ERA) opposes righty Jacob deGrom (5-4, 3.18 ERA). First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. ET.

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