WATCH: Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu makes jaw-dropping catch to rob Jose Ramirez of huge hit
The Boston Red Sox would be trailing right now if it weren't for the unbelievable outfield defense put on display during their matinee game from Wilyer Abreu. It happened in the first inning, but has the potential to be a truly game-saving play that took a potential home run off the board.
Fenway Park's dimensions are interesting, as are all the fence designs. The monster in left field is massive. There's a unique fence with interesting home run rules. The fence in right field is fairly short, and that fact leads to defensive gems like the one put on today.
Abreu raced back on a ball launched to deep right field and leaped before crashing into the fence, right on the Twisted Tea sign, and falling to the ground to ensure the Cleveland Guardians didn't get any hits in the first inning.
It's hard to tell whether or not the ball smashed by Jose Ramirez would have left the yard. Baseball Savant has it as a home run in 20 out of 30 parks, but Fenway was not one of those 20, so it appears as if Abreu stole a double or triple from Ramirez.
Per Savant, it was a barrell, which means it was a pretty much perfectly struck ball off the bat. It left at an exit velocity of 101.1 miles per hour and had an xBA of .620, or a 62% chance of being a hit. Abreu's defensive mastery wiped all of that out early on Jackie Robinson Day.
Boston Red Sox doing well to open season
After Lucas Giolito went down for the entire season, things looked bleak in Boston. They didn't have the starting pitching they really needed, especially after trading Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves.
However, they've surprised the league and gotten off to a very good start. The pitching and defense has been much better than expected, and they are 9-7 and in the thick of the American League playoffs when not many expected them to be.