Xander Bogaerts doesn’t have a Twitter account, which probably is a good thing given the social media backflips the Oakland Athletics performed after defeating the Boston Red Sox for the second straight night.
Bogaerts was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple with one out in the ninth inning Monday, thanks to an absolute missile by A’s center fielder Ramon Laureano, who also gunned down the Red Sox shortstop at the plate in the second inning Tuesday.
“It took a five-star play to get him out at third,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Wednesday after Oakland’s 1-0 win. “Just like (Monday). The kid is a game changer.”
Laureano, a 24-year-old with just 56 major league games under his belt, has developed quite the defensive résumé in a short time, with his arm providing highlights almost nightly. The A’s are well-aware of this growing reputation, and they changed the name on their official Twitter account to shout out Laureano.
The Red Sox will face the A’s again Wednesday and Thursday before traveling to the desert for a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. So far, the 2019 season has been a disaster for the Red Sox, who fell to 1-5 with Tuesday’s loss, and Laureano’s arm has played a role in the defending World Series champions’ early futility.
