Xander Bogaerts will make a bit of Red Sox history Thursday afternoon.
The star shortstop will play in his 1,000th Major League Baseball game when Boston hosts the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Bogaerts will become the 30th player to play in 1,000 games for the Red Sox.
However, here's the coolest part: Bogaerts will be just the 10th player to accomplish the feat before turning 29 years old. The company he'll join is impressive, to say the least.
Here are the nine other players:
-- Bobby Doerr
-- Dwight Evans
-- Harry Hooper
-- Rico Petrocelli
-- Jim Rice
-- Everett Scott
-- Reggie Smith
-- Tris Speaker
-- Carl Yastrzemski
Of course, Bogaerts isn't simply a dependable, durable player who plays nearly every day. Over the last three years, the Aruba native has emerged as perhaps the best shortstop in baseball and he's been especially good this season.
Check out where Bogaerts' 2021 numbers ranked entering play Wednesday:
Remarkably, Bogaerts only has earned two All-Star nods over his eight-year career. If he keeps up his current pace, he'll be a lock for the midsummer classic at Coors Field.
By the way, Yastrzemski leads the Red Sox with 3,308 games. Hard to imagine anyone topping that mark, considering the heightened emphasis on giving players extra rest.
