Sports

Bregman hits clutch pinch-hit HR in Red Sox’s win

Bregman hits clutch pinch-hit HR in Red Sox's win

CHICAGO — The

He strained his right quad while running the bases on May 23 against Baltimore. Forgoing a rehab stint in the minors, he returned on July 11 against Tampa Bay.

The homer against the Cubs was his first one since the injury.

“The training staff, the strength and conditioning staff here was amazing in helping me get back quickly and get back fully healthy,” Bregman said. “I’m going to trust their plan and stick to that.”

Boston managed just one run while losing the first two games of its weekend series at Chicago. It had a 2-1 lead in the finale when Bregman broke it open with a three-run shot off Drew Pomeranz.

It was Bregman’s second career pinch-hit homer, also accomplishing the feat on Sept. 8, 2021, against Seattle.

“The kid did what he usually does,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

The 31-year-old Bregman spent most of the game in the batting cage with assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, working on his positioning at the plate.

“After being away for like two months, kind of just standing more vertically and I wasn’t starting in the same position,” said Bregman, a two-time World Series champion with Houston. “So tried to get back in that starting position and then swing from behind the ball. Big credit to our hitting staff for noticing that and helping me out.”