With one swing of the bat, Xander Bogaerts laid claim to the penultimate game of the Boston Red Sox season.
Bogaerts sent a pitch from Tampa Bay Rays lefty Colin Poche in the bottom of the fifth inning into orbit, crushing it way over the Green Monster with the bases loaded at a rain-soaked Fenway Park on Tuesday night.
It was an absolute, no-doubt grand slam from Bogaerts. You can watch the 421-foot blast, which was the seventh grand slam of his career, right here:
Bogaerts is only the 12th member of the Red Sox to hit at least seven grand slams while playing for the franchise, according to Red Sox senior manager of media relations and baseball information J.P. Long. The only Red Sox players who have hit more than him are Ted Williams, David Ortiz, Rico Petrocelli, Bobby Doerr, Trot Nixon and Jim Rice.
The home run from Bogaerts could certainly be very meaningful to the four-time All-Star as he approaches an uncertain future with the Red Sox. The 30-year-old shortstop can opt out of his contract at the end of the season and just might be playing in his final games in a Red Sox uniform.
The round-tripper from Bogaerts was his 15th of the season, and it gave the Red Sox a 5-0 lead at the time before the game went into a rain delay shortly thereafter.
