The Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 6-3 on Monday night, their fifth straight win and the longest streak of the season. The victory came with Willson Contreras at the center of it, even though he did not see the field for long.
What happened in between was not about baseball at all.
Contreras has spent the past week thinking about his home country. Twin earthquakes struck Venezuela last Wednesday, and the death toll has climbed past 1,700. He has used social media to raise awareness and helped the team organize donations through the Red Sox Foundation. None of that has made showing up to play any easier.
Contreras Opens Up on Emotional Moment
Contreras delivered a three-run homer in the first inning, then broke down in tears once he reached the dugout.
“It’s not easy to hide,” Contreras said.
He admitted it has been hard just to show up and play with everything happening back home. The homer arrived in the middle of a day he described as difficult before he ever stepped to the plate. He explained where the moment at the plate fit into all of it.
“It could be a little bit a case of escape,” Contreras said, before adding that the thoughts of home never fully go away.
The swing carried meaning beyond the scoreboard. So did the reaction that followed it.
Contreras said: “Every homer from now on is going to be for the Red Sox and Venezuela.”
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 29: Willson Contreras #40 of the Boston Red Sox rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park on June 29, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
A Teammate Who Understands
Wilyer Abreu, also from Venezuela, was the first to reach Contreras in the dugout. Chad Tracy followed shortly after.
Abreu has watched the toll this has taken up close. He is carrying a version of the same weight, which is exactly why he understood what Contreras needed in that moment without anyone having to explain it.
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 29: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela #3 embrace after their ninth inning win over the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park on June 29, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Red Sox
Contreras said it himself. Every homer from here forward is for Venezuela as much as it is for Boston.
The Red Sox are riding their best streak of the year, and Contreras has been central to it, both on the field and in ways that go beyond stats. What he showed Monday night was not just emotion. It was a player finding a way to perform while carrying something heavier than baseball.
That kind of weight does not go away between innings. Contreras has found a way to play through it anyway.
Red Sox Willson Contreras Opens Up After Emotional Home Run