Why Wilyer Abreu’s 2-RBI blast was so important to Chad Tracy, Red Sox

Wilyer Abreu sent Fenway Park into a frenzy on Saturday night.

He was in a spot most players grow up dreaming about, but few actually enjoy being in. Two outs, two strikes, runners on. One swing that can change a game. Boston had just relinquished its 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning, and Abreu had an opportunity to step back on the gas pedal.

The right fielder delivered, with a bases-clearing, 2-RBI double that nearly sailed over the wall for more. He had people buzzing from the dugout to the grandstands.

“It feels amazing every time we’re winning and the crowd is going crazy,” Abreu said postgame. “I love that, I love the passion that they have in this stadium.”

Boston tackled on two more runs for good measure, but it was Abreu’s moment that made all the difference. Chad Tracy wouldn’t let go of that point either. He was fired up for a little bit more specific reason.

Since the All-Star break, Boston has been the best team in all of baseball at scoring runs with two outs. It’s part of what has made the Red Sox so clutch late in games, and as Abreu demonstrated, it can also be a weapon for gaining earlier leads and holding them.

But on this recent skid, those opportunities have largely dissipated. Tracy was happy to get one back.

“We talked a lot about that, that kind of opened the game up, not just the score but then here we came in the seventh, here we came in the eighth,” Tracy said. “We were waiting. It feels like these few days its been waiting for a two-out hit, a big swing or a go-ahead swing. Had a lot of chances at it, and then we get that swing there and all of a sudden everybody kind of takes a breath.”

The Red Sox desperately needed a win after Friday night’s difficult performance. The team is beginning to sputter a bit, and while a postseason berth is still nearly a lock, the team that was a favorite to come out of the American League a month prior is far from that same favorite in the middle of September.

But Abreu sparked a little something extra on Saturday night, and momentum is an untrackable stat that seems to matter more than anything when October hits. The teams that stay hot often last the longest, so Boston needs to heat back up again.

It got a great start out of Ranger Suarez, who seems to be finding his groove again on the mound. And offensively, not every night is great, but there are plenty of capable bats in the lineup.

Adley Rutschman drove in a run Saturday, as did Nick Sogard and Caleb Durbin. Trevor Story and Roman Anthony are back. Ceddanne Rafaela will hopefully not miss extended time with his injury. And Mickey Gasper can apparently turn into Ted Williams at a moment’s notice.

Offensively, there’s enough output. But it needs to come in high-leverage situations, like having runners on with two outs. Hopefully Abreu took a weight off the dugout’s shoulders enough for two-out hits to return to normalcy in Boston.