On Friday, Boston Red Sox fans couldn't help but reminisce about their team's last World Series championship in 2018. A single image that made its rounds was the main cause for the nostalgia — it was a photograph of Red Sox manager Alex Cora and ex-Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts laughing together and conversing on the field at Fenway Park a few hours before Friday's Red Sox-San Diego Padres series opener.
The photo, courtesy of The Boston Globe's Alex Speier, sent Red Sox fans back to happier times than the immediate present — the 2026 Red Sox have started the season dreadfully, with a 1-5 record entering their home opener at Fenway.
In grander context, Boston hasn't been back to the World Series since '18, and their playoff appearance in 2025 was the first since 2021 (only the second since the '18 title).
Alex Cora and Xander Bogaerts. Reunited again.
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 3, 2026
📸: @alexspeier pic.twitter.com/hVNuzXEZ9o
Xander Bogaerts always gets Red Sox fans remembering what it feels like to be a champ
It's safe to say Bogaerts' legacy as a Red Sox remains sparkling. With all the enduring (and rightful) complaints about Boston trading Mookie Betts, and with fans' renewed, trade-related annoyance at the Red Sox botching the Rafael Devers/Alex Bregman situation (culminating in ultimately losing both players), perhaps not enough tears have been shed for Bogaerts, whose departure via free agency in 2022 led to an 11-year deal with the Padres.
Bogaerts accomplished everything you can ask for during his decade in a Red Sox uniform. He won not one, but two World Series titles (in 2018 under Cora, and in 2013 as a rookie under John Farrell). He bagged five Silver Slugger trophies and made four All-Star teams. He finished in the top-17 in AL MVP voting five seasons in a row (2018-2022), including a No. 5 finish in 2019, in which he hit a career-best 33 home runs and drove in a career-best 117 runs.
An image of Bogaerts alone would get most Red Sox fans in their feels. But Bogaerts and Cora in the same picture, laughing like the good 'ol days? This was bound to cause a shockwave of good vibes (or sad vibes, depending how you see it) all throughout Sox Nation on Friday.
The Red Sox are almost a decade removed from their last title
Boston is looking to recapture some of that 2018 magic these days. The Red Sox have now developed a habit of starting the regular season in the swamp, with slow bats, iffy pitching, and losses piling up. Cora's club salvaged things last season, using an upward-trending campaign to ultimately make the playoffs. But expectations this season are higher than a Wild Card exit.
The Red Sox have seen so many new players come and go since the days of Bogaerts. Some of Boston's new faces have thrived, although 2026 hasn't been kind so far in that regard. Approaching the decade marker since its last World Series, Boston needs its new stars to help the fan base move on from the likes of Bogaerts, Betts, and Devers.
Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet have the star power required for the assignment, but only a deep postseason run will allow fans to let go of 2018 and trust this new wave of Red Sox baseball.