The Boston Red Sox acquired Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason, and he has proven to be an exceptional addition.
Not only was he named an All-Star and has 22 home runs, but the way he plays brings a certain edge that the Red Sox needed. The season did not start as many had hoped, and it would have been easy for Contreras to give up on the team. However, he continued to play with passion and fire, and Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez appreciates that.
"Contreras is that guy who rubs off on everybody!" Martinez wrote on X. "He genuinely cares about his teammates and won’t back down if something happens that affects them. He protects the team, and I love that about him!"
Martinez is a legend in Boston and has helped bring a World Series to the city. Now, he is getting to watch Contreras ignite a team that many had written off. The Red Sox enter Wednesday with a chance to tie and set a new franchise record for consecutive wins. A sweep of the Baltimore Orioles in Wednesday's doubleheader would bring the win streak to 16 games.
Regardless of whether they bring the win streak to 16 or not, they have their sights set on the postseason now. Winning the American League East is also not out of play for them. They still have to play great baseball down the stretch, considering how tight the American League is, but the version of the team fans have seen in recent weeks is certainly capable of going on a deep run.