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Red Sox Outfielder Wilyer Abreu Makes Obscure History in Two Home Run Game

Abreu accomplished a feat we haven't seen since Roger Maris.
Blake Silverman|
Boston Red Sox right fielder Abreu rounds the bases after hitting an inside the park home run during the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park.
Boston Red Sox right fielder Abreu rounds the bases after hitting an inside the park home run during the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

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Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu had quite the unique game Monday night, hitting both an inside-the-park home run and a grand slam in the team's 13–6 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park.

He made it all the way around the bases and home safely in the fifth inning after he striped a ball to center field that took an awkward, unplayable bounce off the triangle wall at Fenway. Reds center fielder TJ Friedl slipped trying to redirect and track down the ball, allowing Abreu to make it home without a play at the plate. Then, in the eighth inning, he cleared the shallow wall at Fenway with the bases juiced to open up Boston's lead to eight runs.

He joined a small club of players who have hit an inside-the-park homer and a grand slam separately in the same game—a feat which hasn't been seen since Roger Maris in 1958 according to MLB reporter Sarah Langs.

Abreu's big day marked the sixth time in history a player has had an inside-the-parker plus a grand slam. Other than Maris, he joined Jim Tabor (1939), Charlie Gehringer (1930), Everett Scott (1923) and Jocko Fields (1890).

What a game for Abreu, which helped spark Boston's struggling offense to give the team just their second win over the past nine games. It's not every day you see a first for this century, let alone in the past 67 years. Keep this one in the back of your mind for a trivia question down the road.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA. Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk. He’s an alum of both Michigan State and St. Bonaventure University, receiving a master’s degree from the Bonnies’ sports journalism program. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player who’s open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.

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