It was a fun Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium for the Boston Red Sox as they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 9-3 to clinch their second consecutive series and improve to 6-9 on the season.
For the first time in the 2026 season, it felt like everything was firing on all cylinders for Boston. Starter Brayan Bello went 6.1 innings, the longest start for a Red Sox starter all season, while the offense, powered by former Cardinal Willson Contreras, scored a season-high nine runs.
#RedSox Willson Contreras sporting same t-shirt as all his teammates today — with his number (40) and #Bowser in a Sox jersey … pic.twitter.com/6NMUSBbbz7
It was Contreras who took center stage this week in St. Louis, with the Red Sox donning 'Bowser' t-shirts in honor of their new teammate's nickname, and the St. Louis crowd giving Contreras a nice hand ahead of every plate appearance.
Contreras got the party started for the Red Sox with a two-run home run that just got over the right-centerfield wall, his second of the season, en route to a 4-for-5, three RBI afternoon in the series-clinching win. The former Cardinal dominated his old teammates, hitting .462 with six RBIs across the three games in St. Louis.
That's Willson for you! 💣 pic.twitter.com/uqkYzMEsgg
Red Sox manager Alex Cora spoke about the impact Contreras has had not only on the field, but in the clubhouse also after the win, "There's a reason we got him, we needed a right-handed bat, and we got more than that" Cora said. "He's 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" he continued.
Contreras met with the media ahead of Friday night's game in St. Louis, where he reflected on his return, "It feels great to be back here. I left a really great group of friends over there; it's always good to be back again," he said, "there's a lot of good memories here," he continued.
When asked about the reception he would receive from the fans, Contreras said, "I think I did my best here, for the team and for the fans, I played my ass off, every day I came here I gave my 100%." Cardinals fans clearly felt that, giving Contreras a standing ovation ahead of his first plate appearance on Friday night.
As for his new team, whether it be taking on a leadership role in the clubhouse or trotting down to first base while initiating an ABS challenge to get the crowd going on Opening Day, Contreras is already well on his way to becoming just as beloved in Boston.
The Red Sox will continue on their six-game road trip on Monday night in Minnesota, taking on the Twins. First pitch from Target Field set for 7:40 p.m. ET.
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