Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras comes up big against his former team in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Boston Red Sox were looking for a spark when they acquired first baseman Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in a December trade.
Contreras delivered as advertised against his former team again on Sunday when he matched his career high of four hits and belted a two-run homer in the first inning of Boston’s 9-3 win over St. Louis. The three-time All-Star finished with three RBIs — he also knocked in three runs Saturday night in a 7-1 victory over the Cardinals.
“There’s a reason we got him, right? ” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We needed a right-handed bat, and we got more than that.
We got a guy that is playing great defense at first base. He controls the strike zone. He’s becoming a leader in the clubhouse.
It’s fun to have him around. ” Contreras gave starter Brayan Bello a lead before he even stepped on the Busch Stadium mound by hitting a 3-2 sinker on the outside corner 411 feet into the right-center bleachers off Andre Pallante to make it 2-0. “I kind of played like little mind games,” Contreras said.