Brayan Bello Needed Second Chance To Celebrate Wilyer Abreu’s Homer

There was no silent treatment from the Boston Red Sox dugout after Wilyer Abreu crushed the first home run of his career Thursday in a lopsided 17-1 win over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Abreu’s new teammates couldn’t contain their excitement for the 24-year-old outfielder, who made his Major League Baseball debut Tuesday. Abreu got to partake in Boston’s home run celebration, too, holding the inflatable dumbbells while high-fiving teammates as he made his way through the dugout.

Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello, who earned the win to improve to 10-7, wasn’t able to join in on the initial celebration, which made him laugh. But the right-hander got his chance to revel in Abreu’s moment following the contest.

“I wasn’t in the dugout when he came back. I was sitting inside the clubhouse down there,” Bello told reporters through a translator, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “But when we got back here, everybody congratulated him. It was really nice for him.”

It certainly was a day to remember for Abreu, who just over a year ago was a member of the Astros organization before coming to the Red Sox in the trade that deal Christian Vázquez to Houston. Abreu finished the game going 4-for-5 with the homer, a double and four RBIs.

This isn’t the first time Bello has seen Abreu up close, having caught a glimpse of the talent at Triple-A Worcester last season and for a game there this year. The immediate success for Abreu isn’t a surprise to Bello and the young starting pitcher was thrilled to see the left-handed hitter contribute right away.

“It was really nice for him to come here, just ready to help the team win,” Bello said. “When I was there last year I saw how good he was in Triple-A. It was very nice for us to have him here and to help us win games.”