With Wednesday’s contest between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays serving as possibly the final sight of longtime shortstop Xander Bogaerts, the 30-year-old shortstop reflected on his stint in Boston.
Having spent the entirety of his big league career with the Red Sox, after being signed as an amateur free agent in 2009, Bogaerts spoke with NESN broadcast reporter Tom Caron on the “TC & Company Podcast” reflecting on the first wake-up call when taking the field in front of the Fenway Park faithful.
“I remember I got booed,” Bogaerts told Caron. “When I was (in) my first full season in ’14. The day we signed Stephen Drew I made two errors. … First play of the game I made an error, two innings in the dugout. And then, later on, I made another error, they booed me. … I was 21 at that point. I’m like ‘They booing me at 21?’ So then I got my act together and then I improved and ever since then, thankfully I’ve never been booed.
Bogaerts added: “I’m very thankful for them (the fans) for expecting a lot of great stuff from me and that’s what I also expect from myself. I know sometimes you’re not doing the performance they would want but this is a hard game and no one’s putting the baseball on a tee telling you ‘You know what? You can hit it right there where no one’s at.’ … I’m thankful for the support and all the great memories.”
Finishing off his 10th year with the Red Sox, following the season finale win over the Rays, Bogaerts ended his latest campaign hitting .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs, 38 doubles and 73 RBIs in 150 games played.
All that remains for Bogaerts and the Red Sox are the pending contract situation which will clarify the two-time World Series champ’s future in Boston.
