Xander Bogaerts makes Red Sox history with monumental grand slam
Xander Bogaerts makes Red Sox history with grand slam
Xander Bogaerts is in a class of his own once again.
In Wednesday night’s series finale versus the Minnesota Twins, the longtime Boston Red Sox shortstop decided that for once, this team wasn’t going to leave the bases loaded.
His line-drive grand slam left the bat at 113 MPH and broke the scoreless game wide open.
SLAM-DER BOGAERTS. pic.twitter.com/0bpR2pRpe8
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 1, 2022
After a serious power outage between June 1 and the end of July, when he only managed three home runs over 50 games after an outfield collision with Alex Verdugo messed him up, Bogaerts certainly seems like he’s finding his swing again. Since August 1, he now has four home runs in 25 games. He’s pulled his batting average back up over .300, too.
Better yet, immediately after, Sox media relations announced that Bogaerts now has more grand slams than any shortstop in franchise history. Add that to the ever-growing list of achievements in his decade-long big-league career. In 2021, he played his 1,000th career game at shortstop; as of this season, he’s played more games at short than any other player.
August, in particular, has been a month of impressive career achievements for Bogaerts:
- On August 3, he became the ninth player in franchise history to hit 150 home runs for the Sox before turning 30.
- On August 6, he tied Ted Williams for fifth on the franchise list of most 4-hit games before turning 30.
- On August 11, he became the second player in franchise history to hit 300 doubles and only the second Red Sox player (and 25th in MLB history) to reach 150 HR and 300 doubles before turning 30.
Games like this one have been few and far between this year. And even though it probably won’t change the season outcome, sometimes, it’s just nice to appreciate the individual moments.
And of course, to appreciate so many years of Xander Bogaerts.
