Wilyer Abreu took two of the biggest swings for Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic.
And thanks in large part to the Boston Red Sox star, Venezuela is now the WBC champion.
MORE: Cubs' Daniel Palencia completes improbable rise for Venezuela
Venezuela trailed, and Abreu got a heater up and in, not a spot he'd had a lot of success against in his MLB career.
But he's never stopped putting in the work, and it showed there.
Fast forward to the final, and Venezuela was holding a 1-0 lead when Abreu came to the plate in the fifth.
This time, he went dead center, getting enough of it to double the lead to 2-0 with a solo shot.
MORE: Bryce Harper had his crowning WBC moment, at least for a few minutes
That run was crucial, as it turns out, in what ended up being a 3-2 win for Venezuela.
Venezuela certainly wasn't cheated out of this title.
They beat the two finalists from 2023, Japan and the U.S., and in the semifinal had knocked off Italy, the darlings of this year's tournament.
It sure helps to have a guy like Abreu, who is a great defensive outfielder, too.
It'd be hard for Abreu to get better momentum for the MLB season than this.
So don't be surprised if he starts the year red hot for the Red Sox.
MORE: Aaron Judge confirms Yankees fans' worst fears in WBC
Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News.
He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News.
His sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
Related Stories
Source: This article was originally published by Sporting News
Read Full Original Article →
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Leave a Comment