Venezuela will play Team USA for the WBC title on Tuesday.
The Red Sox right fielder, who is playing left field for Venezuela, went 0 for 4 on Monday — a hitless night that will be forgotten, dramatically overshadowed by an epic swing two nights earlier.
On Saturday, Abreu’s three-run homer in the quarterfinals transformed Venezuela’s 5-4 deficit into a 7-5 advantage against Japan in an eventual 8-5 win.
The typically understated Abreu erupted with joy after the swing, producing an unforgettable image. He fired his bat into the sky, where it seemingly remained suspended while his Venezuelan teammates joyfully leaped out of the dugout and poured onto the field at loanDepot Park in Miami.
The snapshots of that moment will likely become part of baseball lore in Venezuela, remembered decades from now. Prior to Monday’s win over Italy, the Red Sox outfielder was still glowing with the memory of his accomplishment and the celebration it set off.
“[The bat flip] just happened in the moment and with the excitement that I [had]. It was unbelievable. I think that bat flip, everybody is going to remember it for a long time,” said a beaming Abreu. “That went viral. I never thought that it was going to be that viral.”
The 409-foot homer into the second deck in right field could represent a defining moment in the career of the 26-year-old, while also putting him on the map for casual spectators of the sport. That said, those who have watched Abreu the longest viewed the homer not as transformative but instead reflective of abilities they’ve long identified.
Team Venezuela manager Omar López first encountered Abreu in 2022. López was coaching first base for the Astros in a spring training game; Abreu was an unheralded minor leaguer who’d been summoned to a game with the big league team. It didn’t take long for Abreu to forge a significant impression.
“The first swing that he put [on the ball], that was a rocket, a laser,” recalled López, now the Astros bench coach.
Later that season, however, the Astros traded Abreu to the Sox in the deal that sent catcher Christian Vázquez to Houston.
“I was like, what’s going on here?” said López. “It was a good trade because Christian Vázquez came in to help us win the World Series. But right away I knew that Wilyer was going to be a really good player . . . Now that I have him here, and [see] how good he is in his work ethic, the way that he goes about his business, that tells me that this kid is going to be really good.”
Former Sox teammate Alex Bregman, participating in the WBC for Team USA, suggested that Abreu has already forged a place as a gifted all-around talent.
“He does it on both sides of the ball, runs the bases well. Just a really, really good player,” said Bregman. “I feel like his swing looks amazing right now. He’s in a really good spot . . . [The home run] was really cool. Great moment for him. He’s such a good dude. I always root for him.”
Sox teammate Willson Contreras, also a player on Team Venezuela, had actually been preparing for the possibility of hitting for Abreu on Saturday had Japan summoned a lefthanded reliever. But once the opponents elected to leave a righty in for Abreu, Contreras sprinted from the batting cage to the dugout in hopes of seeing a special moment unfold.
He got to the dugout just in time to see Abreu’s homer.
“I think that’s the highest bat flip for a Venezuelan player right there,” said Contreras. “[The home run] was really amazing. We’re trying to enjoy every single second, and just watching Wilyer rounding the bases with so much joy makes me happy . . . I’m really glad and happy for him.”
Abreu has had consistently strong at-bats during the tournament, entering Monday with a .294/.381/.471 line while driving in six runs in five games. Still, his tournament experience will be defined not by statistics but instead by what he proved capable of doing against the backdrop of the elevated adrenaline and emotions of a setting unlike any he’d previously experienced.
“I can’t describe the emotions [of the WBC]. It’s been really good, but it’s been very difficult to explain, because I never imagined something like this,” said Abreu. “It’s way better than I imagined it would be.”
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Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.