Red Sox grab 12th consecutive win on Wilyer Abreu’s late go-ahead home run against Rays

The rain was falling and the Fenway Park fans were standing, yelling, chanting when the magic returned Saturday.

Read more Red Sox pitching has been a pillar in their dominant 11-0 win streak

In the seventh inning of their 12th consecutive win, the Red Sox rallied for four runs against three Rays relievers, a sequence punctuated — with an exclamation point — by perhaps the most electrifying moment of the season and The Streak so far: Wilyer Abreu’s two-out, two-run home run against Garrett Cleavinger.

Abreu’s second home run of the game flipped a one-run deficit into a one-run lead in the Sox’ 7-6 triumph.

“Never a doubt,” Chad Tracy, who has guided the team to a 39-31 record since taking over as interim manager, said with a happy sigh. “When you get a team that’s going the way we are, they believe they can win in any game. And even if you’re down a few runs, they believe they can come back.”

The Red Sox, at 49-48, possess a winning record for the first time since they were 1-0 after Opening Day. The last time they had a longer winning streak was 1948, when they ripped off 13 in a row. And they ended the day in sole possession of the last American League wild-card spot — their best standing in the playoff picture all year.

“I haven’t been here long, but the entire vibe really feels like we’re in it until the game’s over,” said Jahmai Jones, who homered in his first start with the Sox. “So as the momentum’s building and everything’s happening, in the dugout, you can feel the good tension of everybody anticipating.”

Added reliever Ryan Watson, who recorded his first career win: “We never feel out of it.”

The game-turning rally started when Andruw Monasterio doubled to left field. Jarren Duran reached on first baseman Ryan Vilade’s throwing error, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second for a run. Anthony Seigler’s strikeout moved the Rays (56-41) to within an out of escaping with a two-run lead.

When Ceddanne Rafaela lofted a fly ball to left field, he thought it would be caught. But left fielder Chandler Simpson pulled up early, allowing it to go off the Green Monster for an RBI double.

In came Cleavinger. Up stepped Abreu.

Abreu took three consecutive balls, then a strike over the heart of the plate — just to see if Cleavinger could do it. The fifth pitch nipped the outside edge of the zone, pushing the count full.

“I just tried to stay humble in my approach,” Abreu said. “Try to get a good pitch to hit.”

He hit a humble 435-foot home run to right-center field, over the Red Sox’ bullpen, to trigger a bona fide Fenway frenzy from the announced crowd of 33,077.

Read more Red Sox aiming for Ranger Suarez to return on homestand this week

Abreu pounded his chest with his left fist three times as he turned to and shouted at his dugout.

“I said in Spanish, ‘Tú eres loco,’” Abreu said. “Like, are you crazy?”

A less literal translation, Abreu said: Are you kidding me?

Even the Red Sox cannot quite comprehend what the Red Sox are doing.

“It’s fun to play right now,” said Abreu, who became the first Sox player since Mookie Betts in 2016 to hit multiple home runs in consecutive games.

Aroldis Chapman navigated a scoreless ninth, stranding runners at second and third, for his 388th career save. He is two shy of tying Dennis Eckersley for ninth on the all-time list.

In the back-and-forth early goings, the clubs combined for five plays that created or broke a tie across the opening four innings.

Tampa Bay lefty Ian Seymour, a Westborough native and St. John’s Shrewsbury alumnus making his first start (third appearance) at Fenway, gave up three runs in three innings.

Lefthander Patrick Sandoval, in his second start back from injury, yielded five runs (four earned) and nine hits in five innings.

“Not even I could ruin the streak,” Sandoval cracked.

After the Rays opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the second, the Sox struck right back in the bottom of the frame. Monasterio worked a two-out, 10-pitch walk — ball four determined by the automatic ball-strike challenge system — to bring up Jones.

Jones walloped a two-strike, two-run home run to left.

“You get your first start with the new team, you want to try to do everything you can,” said Jones, whom the Sox acquired from the Tigers on Tuesday to be a part-timer against lefthanded pitchers. “To be able to do that here — with this team, how they’re playing — it’s awesome. It’s a great feeling.”

In the third, Abreu smoked a two-out homer to center for a fleeting lead.

The Rays added three against Sandoval in the fourth. They nearly had another, but a relay from center fielder Rafaela to second baseman Anthony Seigler to catcher Carlos Narváez cut down Yandy Díaz at the plate.

That set the stage for the late dramatics.

The Red Sox know this won’t last forever, so they want to make the most of it.

“All the things are going our way, so that’s something that we have to take advantage of,” Abreu said. “We just try to keep competing, try to keep the winning streak going.”

Read more Taylor Farms to remove some products after link to Cyclospora cases