Xander Bogaerts Makes 1,000th Appearance At Shortstop In Red Sox Loss Vs. Rays

The Boston Red Sox ceded first place in the American League East standings to the Tampa Bay Rays with a loss on Saturday night. But on a lighter note, Xander Bogaerts reached a major personal achievement.

Bogaerts made his 1,000th appearance at shortstop, becoming the third Red Sox player in history to reach the milestone. The others are Everett Scott (1,093 appearances) and Rick Burleson (1,004).

“It’s definitely a huge achievement on a personal level,” Bogaerts said after the game. “All that I’ve been through, the ups and the downs, the good and the bad, the laughing and sad moments, I’ve been a part of a lot. Thankfully a lot more happy moments. Hopefully I can come through in a big way for this team these last couple of months that we have. I know we haven’t been playing the way we want to, but it would be special to help out in a big way.”

Despite the loss, Bogaerts did help out in a big way Saturday, launching a two-run home run to put the Red Sox up 3-0 in the first inning.