The Boston Red Sox secured their 14th straight win on Monday night thanks to a heroic home run from Caleb Durbin in the eighth inning.
Durbin broke up a 5-5 tie with a 364-foot home run over the Green Monster. The dugout erupted when Durbin made contact, and the team knew Aroldis Chapman was coming on to try and secure the win. The win streak has been electric for both the players and the fans, and Willson Contreras compared Durbin's homer to another iconic homer by a Red Sox player earlier this year.
“I felt right there like it was the (World Baseball Classic),” Contreras said after the game. “To be honest, I flashed back to when (Wilyer Abreu) hit that homer against Japan. I was telling (Durbin) that hitting a homer in that part (of the game) is not easy.
“And I know he was 0-for-3 during the game, but the most important thing is that you keep your mind clear and keep your head in a good spot, because you never know when the biggest at-bat of the night is going to take you.”
WILYER ABREU GIVES VENEZUELA THE LEAD!!!! pic.twitter.com/NsAbD1a7y0
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 15, 2026
Abreu delivered perhaps the most iconic moment of the last WBC with his home run. He hit a three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to give Venezuela a 7-5 lead over Japan in the quarterfinals. Venezuela would win the game 8-5 and go on to win the World Baseball Classic as a whole. Abreu and Contreras were both a part of that team and played major roles.
Abreu's home run came on a bigger stage, but Durbin's home run set the Red Sox up for a chance to make history on Tuesday night. A win will tie the franchise record of 15 straight wins, and the team knows exactly what's at stake.
After an abysmal start to the year, the Red Sox have climbed back into contention thanks to their win streak, but there is still plenty of work to be done if the team wants to be playing baseball in October.
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