Romy Gonzalez's big opportunity
It was a good time to stop and smell the roses for Alex Bregman. There aren't a ton of guys who can celebrate hitting 200 career home runs. (There are 34 active players, to be exact, who have accomplished such a feat.)
For the third baseman - who also managed multiple extra-bases hits for the sixth time this season - Wednesday was a good day.
"I think I’ve been fortunate enough to play a kid’s game that I love, and been able to play at a high level for a long time now, and it’s due to a lot of people: Coaches, teammates, players, support staff in the training room and gym that help you stay on the field," said the 31-year-old. "And just thankful to still be playing this game and hope to play it for another 10 years. It’s cool, just glad it helped the team win to be honest."
For the Red Sox, the 6-4 win over the Rangers might ultimately represent another milestone.
It was a moment that Alex Cora's team might have started to alter a increasingly uncomfortable narrarative.
Going up against one of the best pitchers in the American League this season in Tyler Mahle, the Sox finally managed to get into an opponent's bullpen and take score some actual runs. In this case, there was the one run in the sixth inning immediately after Mahle's exit, and then two more in the seventh on a two-run single from Bregman.
And, to top things off, Wilyer Abreu punctuated his torturing of the Rangers this season with a second home run in the eighth. In six games vs. Texas, the outfielder is now 11-for-18 with four homers, putting his OPS against the Rangers at 2.140.
It all snapped a seven-game losing streak in games decided by three or fewer runs, while going to 12-1 when totaling 10 or more hits. And perhaps most strikingly, this club with the most strikeouts in all of the big leagues was punched out just once. It was the first time that has happened since Sept. 24, 2023.
Getting the starter out of the game. Not striking out. And, most notably, actually winning a game.
"I think we just needed to stop the bleeding, to be honest with you,” Bregman said. “Obviously it’s still super early in the season, but obviously a lot of us haven’t played together, this is our first time playing together, so I feel like we’re figuring out our identity, we’re figuring out what it takes to win baseball games at this level.
"I felt like we did a good job of stopping the bleeding today and now it’s time to win some baseball games. I came here to win, and that’s the one thing I’m focused on."