Red Sox’ Wilyer Abreu on missing fly ball in eighth: ‘Unacceptable’

TORONTO — Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu said he should have caught Bo Bichette’s 334-foot fly ball that ended up landing on the warning track for a double in the eighth inning.

Vladimir Guerrero, the next hitter, crushed a 404-foot line drive three-run home run to left field off Justin Slaten to turn a 2-1 Red Sox lead into a 4-2 Blue Jays win here at Rogers Centre on Thursday.

The Blue Jays won the series 2-1. They have beaten Boston in five of seven matchups this season.

“It was a routine play,” Abreu said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “It was a bad read on my part. There’s not anything else I can say.”

Bichette’s double left his bat at 97.7 mph. Abreu extended fully and jumped for the ball, which tailed to his left.

“That error is unacceptable and I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Abreu said.

It was a rare misplay by Abreu, a 2024 Gold Glove winner who entered with five defensive runs saved in 233 ⅔ innings in right field this year. He had 17 defensive runs saved in 921 ⅓ innings in right field last year.

He ranks in the 88th percentile in outs above average (2) and 94th percentile in fielding run value (3).

“Obviously difficult when you have the lead for most of the game,” he said.

For a second straight day, Boston’s bullpen could not hold a lead. Garrett Whitlock gave up a three-run homer with a 6-3 lead in the seventh inning Wednesday and Boston went on to lose 7-6.

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