Red Sox’s Yu Chang breaks out of slump in historic fashion vs Angels

Boston Red Sox infielder Yu Chang broke out of his slump with authority on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels.

Chang snapped out of an 0-for-28 drought with a two-run home run and a go-ahead two-run single in the team’s comeback win over the Angels. Boston won the game 9-7.

“It’s just a matter of gaining confidence,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of Chang. “He made a comment that when he was (at the World Baseball Classic) how confident he was playing. Then he comes here and it gets harder. We understand that.”

With his performance, Opta Stats noted that Chang made history. He is the only MLB player since RBI became an official stat in 1920 to have a four-RBI game after entering a matchup 0-for-15 or worse with zero RBI on the season.

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Chang said it was a relief to get the first hit. He is now 2-for-20 on the season.

“I’m so happy that the team gave me that consistent opportunity to play every day even though I didn’t hit well in the beginning,” he said through a translator. “What the coaches expressed to me is: they don’t want me to think about the past. They want me to do the same routine and have the same consistency and grab any opportunity you have coming.”

Chang is in his second season with Boston. He made 11 appearances in 2022 for the Red Sox. He spent the 2022 season with the Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays. He started his major league career with the Guardians in 2019.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.